On Thin Ice
by poppyfrost123
Summary: A deadly winter has struck the Clans. Sickness is spreading rapidly through the Clans. The Clans are starving. Well, almost all of them. One Clan has managed to thrive in the cold. Jealous Clans try to take prey for themselves. What will a warrior do when she is tested? Fighting, fish, and flirts make its way into this story of IceClan and its warriors.
1. Chapter 1

_A cold and deadly_ winter had struck the Clans. Prey was burrowed deeply into their warm and cozy holes, starving the Clans. Well, all except _one_. IceClan, skilled hunters of the water, had mastered staying healthy and alive in the cold. The river feeding them had not frozen over. Even if that had happened, the smart Clan had been freezing prey into the ground. The prey stayed fresh.

With wind rippling in her fur, the IceClan warrior stood, looking out into the territory. The ground she gazed over was covered in ice and snow. She almost relished the cold, it looked so pretty, glimmering in the sunlight. And yet it was an enemy to the Clans.

"Duskblossom! What are you doing out here in the cold?"

Duskblossom turned and saw her best friend, a silver tabby she-cat, running towards her.

"Sorry, Needledawn, I guess I got distracted," she offered.

Needledawn rolled her eyes at the smoky gray she-cat.

"Come on, let's get back to camp, I'm freezing," she mewed, shaking out her plumy pelt.

Duskblossom nodded and followed her. Their camp was encircled by a thick wall of reeds. The reeds had protected IceClan through many a cold spell. She picked up her pace, eager to see a certain tom.

Cloudfish was a _handsome _white tom. He had a thick pelt and he had blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. His tail was plumy and rippled when he walked.

Recently, he had started showing affection for the gray she-cat. He had invited her to go on hunts together, something Duskblossom would have never imagined him doing. Oh sure, she had dreamed about it, but in real life, he would never ask her.

_And yet he did,_ Duskblossom dreamily thought.

She really was in love with him. She recalled the elders gossiping about them. Her heart raced. What if she could one day have his kits? She could imagine his blue eyes blinking at her with fondness, his white fur brushing past hers. She let out a sigh of contentment.

"Who are you thinking about?" Needledawn asked good-humoredly.

Duskblossom felt a rush of embarrassment.

"No cat!" she replied hurriedly.

Needledawn let out a knowing mrrow. "Sure," she mewed.

Duskblossom picked up the pace more until they were racing back to camp. She slowed down, seeing the reeds surrounding the camp. Pushing through the entrance, she searched for a familiar white pelt.

Needledawn bumped into her. Duskblossom turned around sharply, almost running into her.

"Sorry," the silver she-cat panted.

Duskblossom nodded. A flash of white caught her eye. Not even bothering to see where she was going, she nonchalantly speed-walked over towards the white.

"Hi, Cloud—"

Rosefall turned and stared and Duskblossom in confusion.

"Um, can I help you?" she meowed.

Duskblossom shook her head at the white she-cat.

_Great,_ she thought, _now she's going to think I'm crazy, too. _

She couldn't imagine what Needledawn was thinking after Duskblossom had ran out on her. She turned back awkwardly to her friend to apologize, but couldn't spot her. Glancing urgently around the camp, she struggled vainly to find a familiar silver pelt.

After her gaze resting on Rippleshade, who was resting by the warrior's den, with his flank rising up and down rhythmically, and then Silverrose, who was drowsing near the freshkill pile, she was ready to give up. There were too many silver cats in the Clan. _Finally_, she found Needledawn flirting with…Shadestar?!

Duskblossom couldn't believe her eyes. Her best friend was flirting with the _Clan leader!_ Shadestar was purring at the silver she-cat and listening intently to what she was saying.

_Wow, _she thought. _Just wow._

Settling down near the warrior's den, she tried to get as far away as she could from _Rippleshade._ The silver tom was arrogant and full of himself. She had heard from rumors that he had had an affair with Ivywillow, deputy of DarkClan. Of course, _DarkClan_ couldn't care less about actually _following _the warrior code. In the past season, DarkClan had raided every Clan's territory, trying to find food. She had to admit, there was something charming about the silver tom, but nothing Cloudfish could compare with.

Speaking of the _handsome_ tom, she spotted him coming out of the warrior's den. Flicking her tail for him to join her, he headed in her direction. She felt a rush of excitement.

"Hey, Cloudfish, how are you?" she purred warmly.

"Good, and you?" he responded politely.

She was a bit disappointed at the way that he had brushed her off ever-so slightly.

He touched his nose to her muzzle before heading to join the other warriors at the fresh-kill pile.

Sitting alone, she wrinkled her nose at Rippleshade, who was fast asleep, and then was attacked.

Shrieks sounded in the air.

"Prepare to die, scum!" A voice sounded in her ear.

Flailing she tried to push herself to her paws, but cats held her down.

Five cats circled her. _How can I expect to take on _five _cats by myself?_ she thought nervously.

"Got you now!" Another cat yowled.

Tiny paws pummeled her. "Get off, Thistlekit," she mewed good-humoredly. "You're squishing me!"

Thistlekit, a tabby tom, slowly backed off. Dovekit, his sister, pounced on Duskblossom, yet again.

"Can I _please _have a badger ride?" Dovekit begged.

Duskblossom gave in and wobbled in the clearing. Dovekit squealed with excitement.

"Kits," Mossysong, their mother, called, "Don't bug Duskblossom."

Dovekit tumbled off Duskblossom's back, glaring at her mother. Thistlekit chased Dovekit to the nursery, followed by the younger kits, Fernkit, Beechkit, and Kestrelkit.

Duskblossom let out a _mrrow _of amusement. They were sweet kits. Trotting over to the other warriors, she noticed that Cloudfish grew silent when she approached. She was pretty sure that it wasn't because he was so shocked by her beauty. Yet again…

Was he, or they, talking about _her_? She pointedly turned the other way and headed towards Needledawn, who was now eating a carp with Cinderbird, who was her sister. Looking back at Cloudfish, she observed that he was talking quietly to the other warriors, glancing at her every now and then. Her pelt grew hot. He was talking about her.

"Here, have a bite," Cinderbird mewed.

Nodding her thanks, Duskblossom crouched down and bit a small bite from the fish. Although alike in looks, Cinderbird and Duskblossom were polar opposites, Cinderbird was fun and outgoing and _loved _toms, white Duskblossom was more on the quiet side and had a small group of friends. Not to mention how many hearts Cinderbird had played with.

"That Cloudfish is a cutie," Cinderbird purred.

Duskblossom inwardly cringed. She knew there was no way she could beat her sister at winning his heart.

"Then again," Cinderbird continued, "Berryoak is pretty handsome."

Needledawn nudged her. "Silly, you know that he's Frecklelight's."

Cinderbird just laughed. Duskblossom couldn't help purring at her sister's tom-craziness.

"Now, Rippleshade," Cinderbird went on more seriously. "_He _is _so _dreamy!"

Needledawn rolled her eyes. "And he would drop you like a hot toad. If his chest didn't make him fall over first, it's so puffed."

"It would be worth it," she mewed good-humoredly. "Just to feel his silky fur." She fell to the ground dramatically, earning some looks from the senior warriors.

Duskblossom couldn't help laughing. "You're crazy," she spluttered.

Cinderbird tossed her head. "You know it."

Taking another bite out of the carp, Duskblossom noticed that almost all of the toms were staring at Mistbriar, the Clan deputy. Of course cats like Berryoak and Bramblestorm weren't, along with Rippleshade, who was still sleeping lazily. Mistbriar was a "pretty" she-cat with "pretty" blue eyes. In Duskblossom's opinion, she was just a stuck-up cat.

Snow began to patter the ground. The cats took that as a signal to hurry up, and began to head to the warrior's den. The queens herded their kits to the nursery and the elders stopped gossiping enough to walk to their den.

Trying to get all of the juices off of her lips, Duskblossom licked her lips. Walking fast to the den, Cinderbird and Needledawn continued talking. Remembering something, Duskblossom whipped around to face the two she-cats.

"So Needledawn," she addressed the silver she-cat, "how are things with Shadestar?"

Cinderbird looked at Needledawn with interest. "Aww, I didn't know you two were a thing. And what an honor. Most she-cats would love to be mates with him."

Needledawn looked at the two gray cats with frustration. "It was just a friendly conversation, that's all," she assured them.

Cinderbird and Duskblossom exchanged a knowing look. "Sure," Cinderbird mewed. "For now," she whispered to her sister.

Duskblossom suppressed a _mrrow_ of amusement.

The den was dark and warm, the reeds keeping the cold winds back. As a new warrior, she and the other younger cats, were at the edge of the den, where some breezes crept in. She shivered slightly and envied the senior warriors, snuggled tightly in the middle. Closing her eyes, she drifted off into darkness.

Bright light woke her up. Glancing outside, she saw that a fresh layer of snow was covering the ground. Right now, the snow was about a foxtail thick. The trees sheltering the camp from above were doing their job and not much snow was in the camp.

Pushing herself out of the den, she was alarmed to hear coughing. She hoped desperately that the dreaded greencough wouldn't infiltrate the Clan. Seeing Goosesight circling Mintripple, she hoped that the friendly tortoiseshell she-cat wouldn't get the cursed sickness.

"Duskblossom," Goosesight called, "Come here please."

She bounded over to the medicine cat and Mintripple.

"Would you get another warrior and try to find some catmint? She doesn't have greencough yet, but I want to have some just in case," he meowed quietly, careful not to let any other cats hear.

At the mention of another warrior, she nodded excitedly. Completely forgetting common sense and the incident last night, she trotted over to Cloudfish.

"Hi," she greeted him, "Would you like to come with me to collect greencough? Oh, sorry, I mean, um, catmint?"

Cloudfish and the other warriors nearby looked at her with amusement.

"I'd _love_ to," he purred, with an edge of acquiesce.

She nodded excitedly and bounded to the entrance, while Cloudfish followed more slowly, not ready to give up his conversations.

_What am I doing? _she wondered. _I can't invite him and not walk with him._

She tried to slow down her pace, but that was extremely hard; every fiber in her was telling her to run.

"So where is this catmint?" Cloudfish asked.

Duskblossom froze. Goosesight never told her. "Um," she noticed that they weren't far from camp. There was still time to go back. "I believe he said it was.." She tried to remember herb picking days from apprentice times. "By the river, a few foxtails to the left?"

He nodded. She relaxed, guessing it had sounded believable.

She flinched as he continued, "Or is it in front of the river, a few trout-lengths to the right?"

She just smiled. "Whatever you say."

He shook his head in amusement.

The river was nearing, and Duskblossom veered to the _right?_ Yes, it was right. She searched for the catmint, but the snow was covering everything. She also noticed that the snow had a slight glimmer to it and the trees had ice hanging from it and it just seemed to be a romantic scene. She wondered if Cloudfish felt the same.

He brushed past her, "Come on, let's find these herbs."

She doubted he felt the same.

* * *

**I hope you like the story so far! Have your say in it by voting in my new poll! You can view it in my profile :) Happy reading!**


	2. Allegiances

**IceClan**

**Leader—**Shadestar, black tom with a gray tail

**Deputy**—Mistbriar, gray she-cat with dazzling blue eyes,

apprentice, Willowpaw

**Medicine Cat**—Goosesight, gray tom with white splotches

**Warriors **

**(toms and she-cats without kits)**

Sagepond, black-and-white tom with green eyes, apprentice, Mothpaw

Cloudfish, stocky white tom with blue eyes

Rippleshade, silver tom with gray paws and green eyes

Berryoak, cream tom with darker paws and amber eyes, apprentice, Gingerpaw

Rosefall, pretty white she-cat with a cream tail,

apprentice, Speckpaw

Duskblossom, smoky gray she-cat with blue eyes

Flickershine, black she-cat with white flecks,

apprentice, Rosepaw

Needledawn, silver tabby she-cat

Cinderbird, dark gray she-cat with lighter paws and tail

Skyberry, tortoiseshell she-cat with sky blue eyes

Bramblestorm, tabby tom with blue eyes,

apprentice, Hailpaw

Mintripple, pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Silverrose, silver she-cat with blue eyes

Foxclaw, red tom with white paws,

apprentice, Daypaw

**Queens **

**(she-cats nursing or expecting kits)**

Mossysong, tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, mother of Bramblestorm's kits, Dovekit, tortoiseshell she-kit, and Thistlekit, tabby tom

Frecklelight, spotted white she-cat, mother of Berryoak's kits, Fernkit, white she-kit with cream paws, Kestrelkit, cream tom with white flecks, and Beechkit, white tom

**Apprentices**

**(more than six moons old, training to become apprentices)**

Willowpaw, pretty gray she-cat with blue eyes

Mothpaw, black she-cat with white paws

Gingerpaw, red tom

Speckpaw, white she-cat with black spots

Rosepaw, cream she-cat

Hailpaw, stocky brown tom

Daypaw, light gray she-cat with beautiful blue eyes

**Elders **

**(former warriors or queens, retired)**

Pikestone, gray tom

Sandyfur, light brown she-cat with lighter flecks

Quailwhisker, dark brown she-cat with blue eyes

Stormlight, blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

* * *

**StormClan**

**Leader**\- Driftstar, pretty gray she cat with a downy pelt

**Deputy- **Cedarflank, brown tom with amber eyes

**Medicine cat- **Sootfeather, gray dappled she-cat with blue eyes,

apprentice, Vineleaf, ginger tom

**Warriors**

Wishingfeather, lean, pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with beautiful sea green eyes (An OC requested by "Guest")

Flurrywhisker, gray she-cat with white muzzle

Springfoot, tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Nightfall, black she-cat,

apprentice, Flamepaw (ginger tom)

Toadstump, brown tom with amber eyes

Stagwhisker, brown tabby tom,

apprentice, Tigerpaw (black tom)

Maplesong, tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Tansytoe, black-and-white tom

Patchspeck, black-and-white tom

Ravenfeather, gray tom with blue eyes,

apprentice, Specklepaw (tortoiseshell she-cat)

**Queens**

Dewypetal, white she-cat with gray tail, expecting Cedarflank's kits

Carptoe, brown she-cat, mother of Stagwhisker's kits, Mousekit, brown tom, and Branchkit, tabby tom

**Elders**

Littledrop, lithe white she-cat with blue eyes

Honeyfoot, ginger she-cat

Troutstep, heavy gray tom

* * *

**DarkClan**

**Leader- **Graystar, gray tom with green eyes

**Deputy- **Ivywillow, pretty gray she-cat with darker paws

**Medicine Cat- **Plumleaf, gray tabby she-cat

**Warriors**

Creektooth, brown tabby tom,

apprentice, Whitepaw (white tom)

Deerwhisker, dusky brown she-cat

Fawnfoot, brown she-cat with white underbelly,

apprentice, Blackpaw (black she-cat with green eyes)

Brindlepetal, tortoiseshell she-cat

Runningspot, lithe black tom with gray spots

Slopefall, pretty gray she-cat with blue eyes

Orchidleaf, black she-cat with a mixture of blue and green eyes

Blizzardtooth, white tom with gray paws,

apprentice, Specklepaw (tortoiseshell she-cat)

Owlfur, lithe tabby she-cat

apprentice, Nightpaw (black she-cat with blue eyes)

**Queens**

Briarsong, tortoiseshell she-cat, mother of Graystar's kits, Petalkit, gray she-kit, Sunkit, yellow tom, and Splashkit, tortoiseshell she-kit

Lilyfoot, brown tabby she-cat, expecting Runningspot's kits

**Elders **

Amberfall, tabby she-cat

Sharpwhisker, gray tom with a white muzzle

* * *

**GustClan**

**Leader-** Emberstar, bright yellow tom

**Deputy- **Liontooth, brown tabby tom

**Medicine Cat- **Shadyleaf, silver tabby she-cat

apprentice, Softpaw (White she-cat)

**Warriors**

Echocloud, silver tabby she-cat with white paws and muzzle

Hailwhisker, brown tom

apprentice, Pondpaw (brown tabby tom)

Hawkspring, gray tabby she-cat

Brackenpelt, brown she-cat with green eyes

Toadrunner, tan tom with bright green eyes

Birdpoppy, white she-cat with black paws

Brightjump, tabby she-cat with green eyes

Minnowpond, silver she-cat

Mallowtooth, gray tom,

apprentice, Deerpaw ( bright yellow tom)

Lizardwhisker, brown tabby tom

**Queens**

Frosttail, white she-cat, expecting Mallowtooth's kits

Fernsplash, tortoiseshell she-cat, mother of Liontooth's kits, Dustkit, brown tom, and Dewkit, tortoiseshell she-kit

**Elders**

Viperclaw, brown tom

Badgerfoot, black-and-white tom

Flowerdrop, lithe tabby she-cat

* * *

**Want to include your OC? It's not too late! :) Happy reading! **


	3. Chapter 2

_Heading back to camp_ with the greencough, oh, sorry, I mean, catmint, in their jaws, Duskblossom was content to walk beside Cloudfish. He didn't offer her much conversation, but she tried to make the best of what they had.

"Being a warrior is much better than being an apprentice, isn't it?" she asked.

He merely grunted.

_That was a stupid question, _she thought, scolding herself.

The handsome white tom kept on walking and was quite happy to go without speaking.

Duskblossom however wasn't. "So, are you going to the Gathering tonight?" she inquired.

He nodded.

"Me, too," she squealed.

Cloudfish had a look of great relief when the camp finally appeared. Muttering a goodbye to the smoky gray she-cat, he dropped off his leaves had headed towards the other young warriors. She saw him meow something and heads turned towards her. With a flash of embarrassment, she ducked her head and retreated to the medicine den.

"Here's your leaves, Goosesight," she mewed cheerfully. "I hope Mintripple gets to feeling better."

Once again, another tom grunted in reply.

_Toms! _she thought, shaking her head.

Mintripple gave her a look of gratitude as she backed out of the medicine cat den. Walking towards the fresh-kill pile, Duskblossom wasn't sure where she was welcome. With Cinderbird and Needledawn nowhere in sight, she decided to take a chance and sit by Silverrose and Skyberry. Normally, she thought that Silverrose was sort of stuck up about her looks and all of her admiring fans. Skyberry was really nice, but she wasn't too bright.

"Hi, Duskblossom," Skyberry mewed, "How are yo-"

Skyberry stopped and let her mouth hang open as Foxclaw walked past them.

"He's so adorable," she gushed.

Silverrose rolled her eyes at the tortoiseshell she-cat.

"You're so stupid," she snapped, "every she-cat knows that Sagepond is way more good looking."

Duskblossom privately disagreed with the silver she-cat. Foxclaw was definitely better looking than Sagepond.

The two she-cats got up, still bickering, and went to ask the other she-cats in the Clan who was better looking.

Duskblossom rolled her eyes. _Finally_ spotting Cinderbird, she went to sit beside her. Right when she sat down, Silverrose and Skyberry came up to talk to Cinderbird.

"Cinderbird!" Skyberry yowled, "Who's dreamier, Sagepond or _Foxclaw?_"

They waited for an answer.

Cinderbird sincerely digested the question. After a few heartbeats, she finally responded, "I'll have to say…"

Skyberry and Silverrose leaned forward.

"… Foxclaw! He's really cute and he has the best personality."

Skyberry let out a _mrrow _of triumph and Silverrose sulked away to ask Rosefall.

"Are you going to the Gathering tonight?" Cinderbird asked.

Duskblossom nodded excitedly.

"Lucky," Cinderbird complained, "I never get to go."

"Sorry," she sympathized with her sister.

"I bet Needledawn gets to go. That's the advantage of being the "almost" mate of the leader. She's still spending all of her spare time with Shadestar," mewed Cinderbird.

"Wow, it's that serious?" Duskblossom asked.

Cinderbird nodded and turned her head.

_Instead of being flirty and giggly with Cloudfish, I think I'll try mysterious and hard to get. That will work, right?_ she thought to herself.

Shadestar stepped out of his den, with Needledawn behind him.

"Every cat that is going to the Gathering, we are leaving now," he yowled.

"See you later," Duskblossom whispered to her sister.

Cinderbird nodded and rested her head on her paws. Shadestar led the way out of camp, talking with Needledawn. Duskblossom found herself walking alone. This was the perfect time to reflect on her thoughts. It was just her, the moonlight, and _Cloudfish? _

"Greetings," he mewed to her.

Remembering her hard to get act, she nodded cooly. Surprisingly, he didn't quicken his pace to catch up with the other warriors. Lifting her gaze, she could see the stepping stones coming up. Even though she was an IceClan cat, this was always the hardest part.

Cloudfish confidently padded over the stepping stones and stood and waited for Duskblossom.

Slowly, she stepped over the first step.

_Its just like swimming, _she told herself.

Gaining confidence, she stepped over the second, then the third. As she stepped onto the fourth, her paw slipped.

_Oh no, _she thought, bracing herself for the cold water below.

The cat behind her balanced her. She wobbled a bit more and jumped across. Turning around to thank her rescuer, she was face to face with Rippleshade.

"Thanks for saving me," she muttered.

"Any time," he meowed, licking his paw.

Shuddering with disgust, she turned back to Cloudfish.

"Close call, huh?" he mewed.

She nodded.

Entering the Gathering place, she was surrounded by cats. IceClan was the last Clan to enter. She figured if she was to be like Cinderbird, she needed to assess the toms.

_Cute. Cute. Okay. Nope. He's dreamy. No. Cute._

What was she doing? She wasn't this type of cat. But Ravenfeather from StormClan was pretty good looking. She hated to even think this, but the StormClan medicine cat apprentice was really cute, too. She took a deep breath and went to introduce herself to Ravenfeather. He was a handsome gray tom with beautiful blue eyes.

"I'm Duskblossom," she mewed to him.

He nodded his gray head and replied, "Ravenfeather."

He turned back to a pretty GustClan warrior, Minnowpond. Minnowpond shot a glare at her and continued gushing over the StormClan warrior.

Scratching him off of her mental list and putting him in the save for later pile, she went to try and talk to Vineleaf, the medicine cat. Knowing that she would never actually like him, she had already crossed him of the mental list. She just wanted to talk to him, see what he was like.

"Hello," she meowed.

He turned, "Greetings. What's your name? I'm Vineleaf."

"I'm Duskblossom," she replied, blinking at him.

"It was nice meeting you," he called, as he was swept away by his mentor.

She sighed as Driftstar started the Gathering. Sitting with Needledawn, she tuned out all of the leader's endless ramblings. "Prey…" "Foxes…" "I want to declare war against IceClan!"

Now that made her snap back to reality. Emberstar was snarling at Shadestar, who met his challenge. For the first time, Duskblossom noticed that every cat except for IceClan's cats, looked starving. Their pelts were hanging from their frames and all had the same desperate look in their eyes.

"It's not fair that IceClan gets it easy! GustClan is starving! I never wanted to say this but, we _need _prey! My queens are starving, kits are dying, and elders go to sleep hungry. What kind of life is that?"

Duskblossom never even thought of how the harsh winter was affecting the other Clans. None of the kits at camp complained about being hungry, so she just assumed that every Clan was like that. She felt a flash of embarrassment for being so shallow.

"Look, I'm sorry that the Clans are starving, but what can we do about it? The warrior code clearly states that each Clan is to fend for themselves," came Shadestar's wise reply.

Emberstar exploded. "So, it's in the warrior code that you can just let us starve?"

"It's not our fight to fight. How many times has IceClan asked for GustClan's help and received nothing?" Shadestar asked calmly.

"That's not the point," a new voice shouted. Duskblossom recognized Graystar. The gray tom had been listening to the conversation, but now put in his opinion. He crouched down, ready to attack.

"Stop!" Shadyleaf called, "Remember the truce!"

"Unless Goosesight or I receive a sign from StarClan, we will do nothing. I am sorry, but we cannot help you."

With that, Shadestar signaled for IceClan to follow him. Duskblossom scrambled up and hurriedly exited. When the Clan had left the Gathering, she could hear the rest of the Clans arguing over what to do.

"Wow," Cloudfish breathed, careful not to be heard by any other cat, "That was intense."

"I know, right?" Duskblossom whispered cooly. "I cannot believe that Emberstar would explode like that."

"And what about our secret prey supply underground? We have prey to spare."

Duskblossom froze. He was right. IceClan had no need for the food and Shadestar was going to let it go to waste.

Hurriedly speed walking to catch up, she digested the question.

"I don't know," she finally replied.

* * *

Cinderbird was waiting for her when she got home. Her eyes bright, she pounced on her sister and interrogated her on the Gathering.

"How was it? What happened? Any cute toms? How's every cat? Who'd you sit with? Any cute, no, dreamy toms? Did I ask if there was any good toms there?"

"Slow down, slow down," Duskblossom laughed, "It was okay, Emberstar tried to declare war on IceClan, there was definitely cute toms, every cat is, like, starving, I sat with Needledawn, duh, Ravenfeather has gotten a lot more cuter, and yeah," she mewed, almost drowning in the flood of questions.

"Wait, what? Emberstar and Shadestar got into a fight?" Cinderbird checked.

"Yup. It was mostly on Emberstar's end, Shadestar was just the victim. The calm, cool, and collected victim," Duskblossom replied, shaking her smoky gray pelt. "Anyways, if you don't mind, I'm going to get some rest."

Cinderbird stared with her mouth open as Duskblossom swished past her.

"Wait, what about Ravenfeather?" she called after her sister, avoiding the tired warriors heading past her.

"He got cute!" Needledawn answered for her friend.

Turning around in interest, Cinderbird grilled the silver she-cat. Laughing at the sight of the overwhelmed she-cat, Duskblossom curled up in her nest and fell quickly asleep.

* * *

"DarkClan! DarkClan is attacking!"

Duskblossom quickly sat up with alarm. Graystar and Emberstar must have discussed this when IceClan left last night.

_Oh no!_

Racing out of the warriors den, she halted in front of Mistbriar and Shadestar, waiting for orders.

Shadestar's eyes were filled with panic and battle plans, he must have been assessing what DarkClan was going to do based off of other attacks.

He stood there, with his eyes searching for a cat. "Where is she, where is she?" he muttered under his breath.

Mistbriar was waiting for her leader to give orders. "Shadestar," she finally meowed, "What's the plan?"

Shadestar shuddered, snapping back to reality. "You, Bramblestorm, Berryoak, and… Rippleshade will all lead patrols," he addressed the senior warriors.

"Mistbriar, go to…go front them. Rippleshade and Berryoak's patrols will attack from the left and right, and Bramblestorm's will go from behind. We will surround them."

The other warriors nodded at his plan and waited to be placed on patrols.

"I will join Mistbriar's patrol. Four cats need to stay behind to protect the camp. Those cats will be Skyberry, Sagepond, Needledawn and Mothpaw. Four cats to a patrol," he finished. "Mintripple, because of your sickness, you won't be fighting today."

Mintripple nodded sadly.

Mistbriar yowled for Silverrose and Cloudfish to join her.

"I want Flickershine, Rosepaw, and Gingerpaw to join me," Berryoak yowled.

"Duskblossom, Foxclaw, and Daypaw, you will be with me," Rippleshade meowed smoothly.

Duskblossom rolled her eyes.

_Great, I'm stuck with him._

"Hurry up!" Shadestar yowled, "The rest of the cats, just join Bramblestorm's patrol."

Cinderbird, Rosefall, Speckpaw, and Hailpaw ran to join Bramblestorm.

With grim looks on their faces, IceClan departed for battle.

* * *

**I hope you like the story so far! :) Please review and I am open to suggestions! If you would like, I can include your OC as a character! :) Happy reading!**


	4. Chapter 3

Racing through the reeds, Duskblossom followed Rippleshade, along with the patrol. Rippleshade's silver tail was waving in front of her, and she couldn't help feeling comforted that she wasn't alone in the dark. He slowed down, and lifted his tail to show the patrol to halt. Daypaw bumped into her, and she whipped around to glare at the light gray apprentice. Instead of meeting her gaze, Daypaw was staring worriedly ahead. Following her gaze, Duskblossom saw many cats up ahead.

_This can't just be DarkClan. Is it every Clan against IceClan?_

"Rippleshade," she hissed under her breath, "We have company."

Rippleshade flicked his ears and crouched lower.

"Four patrols cannot take on this many cats," Foxclaw whispered.

"What do they want from us?" Daypaw wailed quietly.

"They want survival, and we have it," her mentor answered.

"Rippleshade. What do we do?" Duskblossom asked calmly.

The silver tom met her gaze and let a flash of worry creep in. The worry only lasted for a heartbeat, and she knew he was secretly telling her that he was scared, too.

"We need to find the other patrols," he whispered, "They're in danger. If they run into this many enemy cats, there's no hope."

The patrol slunk away into the shadows, searching for their Clanmates.

"Mistbriar!" Foxclaw hissed quietly, "Where are you?"

The cats searched and searched for their Clanmates, but they were nowhere to be found.

_I hope that the other Clans haven't caught up to them…_

They heard a slight rustle in the bracken nearby. Foxclaw exchanged a wondering look with Daypaw.

_Oh please, let it be one of our patrols and not any other Clans…_

Rippleshade got into a battle crouch and slunk over to the bush, tasting the air to see who it was.

Nervously, Duskblossom, Foxclaw, and Daypaw waited for him to inform them.

"It's Mistbriar and the patrol!" he whispered, actually allowing some emotion to seep into his eyes.

They slumped over in relief. If it had been enemy warriors in the bush, they wouldn't have been able to stand a chance.

"Mistbriar! Shadestar!" he hissed, "It's Rippleshade and the patrol!"

Shadestar poked his head out.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, "You're supposed to be on the other side."

"No you don't understand," Duskblossom protested, "DarkClan _and_ GustClan are about to attack us. We are outnumbered completely."

Shadestar had a look of betrayal in his gaze. "What about StormClan?" he asked.

"I don't know," Foxclaw stammered, "I don't believe we have scented them."

Their leader nodded, thinking.

"Wait, these cats are starving. We can take them," mewed Silverrose.

"Yes," Shadestar murmured, "but, hungry cats make deadly enemies. One of the most dangerous cats is those who are hungry. They have something to fight for."

"We may need to retreat and defend the camp," a new voice joined the conversation. "The four cats can't hold it up by themselves. The kits and elders are at danger."

Duskblossom always thought that Mistbriar was a self-centered cat with no sense of selflessness. This proved her wrong.

Shadestar nodded again. "This is true."

"Why haven't they attacked us yet?" Duskblossom wondered, "As far as they know, they have the advantage. What are they waiting for?"

"Perhaps StormClan?" Foxclaw tried to answer. "Could we convince StormClan to come onto our side. I bet they would cave for some fresh-kill."

Shadestar nodded _again, _pondering.

"What about the other patrols?" Rippleshade broke in impatiently, "They're running into this without a clue of what's happening. They're at danger, too."

"Duskblossom," Shadestar began, "I want you and… Rippleshade to go hunt Berryoak's patrol down. Do whatever you can to prevent fighting and them being torn apart."

Duskblossom nodded.

He continued, "Foxclaw and Silverrose, you must find Bramblestorm's patrol. I want Cloudfish and Daypaw to head home to defend the Clan. That is most important."

Daypaw looked proud that she could contribute to the Clan.

"Come on," Duskblossom yowled to Rippleshade, "Let's go already!"

Rippleshade nodded and padded silently onward. Duskblossom hurriedly caught up with him.

"What if we can't find them?" she asked with a trace of doubt.

"We will," he replied confidently.

The clear night had turned into more snow clouds. Duskblossom shivered as flakes began to fall down from the sky.

_When will this leaf-bare end? _she thought.

The smoky gray she-cat pushed on, trying to ignore the heavy snow.

"We could just run away," Rippleshade meowed.

Duskblossom looked at him, shocked. Was he speaking his thoughts out loud?

"Never look back. We can beat GustClan and DarkClan, they're weak, and Shadestar knows that," he continued.

"Rippleshade," Duskblossom began, "we can't do that. We can't just abandon our Clan when they're in need. We can't do that."

"Says who?" he whispered.

"Look, it's wrong and I won't do that," she mewed firmly.

He sighed and looked towards the horizon. She had never seen this confident, arrogant tom look so alone.

"Let's find them and get on with it," he growled.

"What are we going to do?" Duskblossom heard a voice whisper.

"Did you hear that?" she breathed.

Rippleshade nodded.

"I don't know. Should we retreat back to camp?" Another voice replied.

Rippleshade headed towards the voices, who were talking in the shelter of some reeds.

Sticking his head into the opening, he meowed, "Hi-ya fellows!"

Letting out a meow of alarm, he quickly backed out of the reeds.

"Not us!"

Duskblossom rolled her eyes. Seriously? He just risked the lives of every cat.

"Come on, we need to go." he muttered hurriedly.

Running next to the silver tom, she had to admire his speed. Most IceClan cats were too stocky to be able to run with a fast pace. Eating well every day would do that to you.

Finally, they lost the enemy cats. Duskblossom was hot with anger that they had to run from cats in their own territory.

"We really need to find Berryoak's patrol," she reminded him.

He scoffed, "I think _Berryoak, _of all cats, could take on three cats, let alone Berryoak with a patrol."

He was right. Berryoak had a reputation for being ruthless and quick in his fighting. He was stocky enough to take on a huge cat and fast enough for a small cat.

He brushed past her, "Come on."

She felt a sense of shock and delight that he had let their pelts touch.

_No, no, no! Not delight! I _do not_ like that he touched me! Not at all, _she tried to convince herself.

Sighing, she followed him. The snow was falling, heavier than before. Duskblossom was starting to get a glimmer of fear that they would get snowed in, unable to find their Clanmates.

"I think we're about to get a blizzard," a deep meow echoed her thoughts.

"When will Mistbriar give the signal to attack?" Another voice pondered.

"It's freezing out here!" A small voice complained.

_That's Rosepaw! _

"Rippleshade! We found them!" Duskblossom exclaimed.

Rippleshade walked over slowly to her. "And so we did."

Duskblossom was a bit daunted by his lack of enthusiasm. They had completed their mission.

"Berryoak!" she called, bounding over to the patrol.

"Duskblossom? Rippleshade? What are you doing here? You should be at you designated spot," came the reply.

"It's not just DarkClan," Rippleshade answered, "GustClan is attacking, too. We think that they are waiting for StormClan before they attack us. Shadestar has commanded us to go back to camp, because we are outnumbered."

"That's ridiculous," Berryoak scoffed, "We could easily defeat this scrawny bunch of cats. They're all skin and bone!"

Privately Duskblossom agreed with him. IceClan was by far the strongest Clan.

Rippleshade shrugged, "Orders are orders."

Muttering under his breath, Berryoak rolled his eyes and followed the two cats, with his patrol behind him.


	5. Chapter 4

When the cats returned to camp, Shadestar was whispering in Needledawn's ear. The silver she-cat was nodding and had a determined look in her eyes as she bolted out of camp.

"What was that about?" Rippleshade muttered.

Duskblossom jumped at his voice, she hadn't known he was so close to her.

"Don't know," she shrugged, with confusion in her voice.

The silver tom held her gaze for a heartbeat more, then looked away. A flash of unease rang through her, but she didn't know why. The way he had looked into her eyes haunted her. He was so arrogant, and yet he was looking at another cat besides himself. There was, after all, many puddles in the camp.

* * *

Needledawn was racing through their territory. The silver she-cat had a mission: Shadestar had tasked her to go appeal to StormClan. His plan was to bribe the starving Clan with prey in exchange for help in the battle.

_He is such a smart cat, _she gushed, _To be honest, IceClan could thrive without StormClan's help, but we do need an ally to keep the other Clans at bay. _

Crossing the border, she felt a rush of guilt and excitement. Even though she was told to be there, Needledawn still felt like a rebel. She had only visited StormClan's camp once before, when Shadestar had led a patrol to help StormClan.

"Halt!" A voice rang out.

Skidding to a stop, Needledawn recognized Wishingfeather, a tortoiseshell she-cat.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Needledawn turned around and faced the StormClan she-cat. She had met her at Gatherings, she had known her as a calm and levelheaded cat, friendly and nice.

"Please," Needledawn begged, "I've come to see your leader. Shadestar sent me."

"No! Why should I trust you? For all I know, you've come here with a battle patrol," replied the tortoiseshell she-cat.

_That's what we need from you, _the silver she-cat thought slyly.

"It's an issue involving food to your Clan," Needledawn mewed smoothly.

Hesitating, Wishingfeather nodded, motioning with her tail for the enemy warrior to follow her.

This was how she remembered StormClan's territory, lush with trees, ferns, and plants sprouting everywhere. She could tell why StormClan liked it. Of course, right now it was cold and empty, dead leaves crunching and crinkling with every step. No wonder StormClan was starving. The prey was most likely curled up in their holes, like Needledawn wished she would be.

"Here we are," Wishingfeather told her, her green eyes still glimmering with suspicion.

"Needledawn? Is that you?"

Needledawn spun around and saw her friend, Flurrywhisker. Flurrywhisker had always been really nice, but not to bright. She was definitely blessed with looks, not smarts.

"Oh, hey," she responded cheerfully.

"Wishingfeather," Driftstar called, "Why have you brought this cat into our camp?"

Nodding in respect, the tortoiseshell she-cat replied, "I apologize. She begged me to take her here, she mentioned _food."_

At the sound of food, the warriors in the camp pricked their ears. Needledawn noticed that they were starving, and she felt bad for the poor kits, who hadn't the strength to play.

_We will help them!_ Needledawn thought determinedly.

"Food?" Driftstar asked, now addressing the enemy warrior in her camp.

"Yes," she mewed, dipping her head. "Shadestar has promised your Clan prey in exchange for help. GustClan and DarkClan have set up battle patrols outside of our territory and we need an ally, you need food."

At the mention of StormClan's weakness, Driftstar bristled, but relaxed at the promise of a meal for her warriors.

The warriors in camp licked their lips hungrily. Even Wishingfeather had a longing glaze over her eyes.

"Yes," Driftstar responded immediately, without a trace of doubt in her voice, "I and a patrol of warriors will follow you home to settle the deal with Shadestar."

Needledawn nodded. She had done what she had came to do, but she felt a glimmer of jealously that the pretty gray leader would be spending time with Shadestar.

Driftstar called Cedarflank, who was the Clan deputy, Maplesong, Ravenfeather, and Patchspeck to follow her. This was a big patrol, Driftstar certainly wasn't taking any chances.

"Come on," she muttered, trying to mask her irritation.

* * *

Duskblossom looked with surprise as Needledawn led StormClan's leader, Driftstar, her deputy, Cedarflank, and Maplesong, Ravenfeather, and Patchspeck into the camp.

Coming out of his den, Shadestar had a look of satisfaction on his face as Driftstar entered the camp.

"Welcome," he meowed, "Has Needledawn told you about our plan?"

"Yeah," Driftstar mewed.

Duskblossom was surprised that Driftstar even made it to be a deputy. She didn't seem very professional like the other leaders, but more laid back. Shadestar looked surprised, too.

"Good," he started, "I would like to make a deal with you. If you will be our ally and not side with GustClan and DarkClan, we will give you food. If you break it, your food rations will stop. Agreed?"

"Fine by me," she nonchalantly mewed, but her eyes revealed how much the deal meant to her.

She and her patrol started to walk out of camp, but Shadestar stopped her.

"Are you going to take your food?" he asked, puzzled.

"Oh," she replied, "of course. Patchspeck, Ravenfeather, retrieve it, please."

Ravenfeather shot a knowing glance at Duskblossom as he walked towards the fresh-kill pile. Duskblossom felt a rush of happiness that the handsome tom noticed her. Cloudfish, seeing the look, stepped protectively next to the smoky gray she-cat, sending daggers to the tom.

Duskblossom was confused and happy that he cared. Cloudfish was on and off about their relationship. However handsome the white tom was, she couldn't love him if she didn't know if he loved her.

Slipping behind him, she shot a confused look at him and retreated over to Cinderbird. She was rewarded with Cloudfish turning around and his look of surprise when he realized no cat was there.

Driftstar nodded to Shadestar and the StormClan cats left the camp.

"So are DarkClan and GustClan attacking, or not?" asked a confused Daypaw.

Her mentor, Foxclaw, shrugged and grabbed a trout from the freshkill pile.

Duskblossom could still see silhouettes of cats in wait.

_What are they waiting for? _she wondered.

Maybe she was just imagining things, but were there less and less cats every time she checked?

"Hey, Duskblossom."

The smoky gray she cat turned to see Cloudfish trotting towards her.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a short hun—"

Interrupting him, she mewed, "Do you think there's less cats out there than usual?"

Looking towards the enemy cats, he nodded.

"What if that's their plan?" he asked, echoing her thoughts, "What if they're just trying to draw our attention to the cats out there that are waiting, and GustClan and DarkClan are just going to attack the camp?"

"Should we warn Shadestar?" Duskblossom wondered hesitantly.

In all truth, their idea was quite far-fetched and she wanted to spend some time with the _handsome _white tom.

"We could hunt on the way back," he murmured.

Nodding, she bounded to his side and let their pelts brush.

Trotting over to Shadestar's den with Cloudfish, she let out a meow of greeting.

"Come in," came the rushed reply.

Needledawn was grooming Shadestar's fur when they came in. It was a funny sight to see the silver she-cat's tongue stick out in surprise.

"How can I help you?" Shadestar inquired.

"Well, this might sound crazy, but we think we know what DarkClan and GustClan's plan is," Cloudfish told him.

Nodding, Shadestar tucked his paws to his chest.

Cloudfish continued the story, "Duskblossom pointed out that there were not as many cats lined up at the border. We both had the assumption that maybe the patrols of the enemy warriors were just a distraction. Graystar and Emberstar could be storing up warriors to attack on the camp. The reason they're taking so long is because they don't want to arouse suspicion."

"Yes, this could be true," Shadestar murmured, thinking hard, "I wouldn't put it past those two fox-hearts and those two fox-hearts of a Clan to pull something off like that."

Cloudfish winked at her as they both turned to exit the den.

"Well, when is the attack going to happen?" he pondered.

"Who knows?" she murmured, looking back at him.

* * *

Needledawn looked at Shadestar.

"Do you think they're right?" she asked him.

He looked at her with surprise, she wondered if he forgot she was there. "It sounds right, but something, something isn't quite right. There's a piece missing."

She opened her mouth to speak something, but he kept on talking, "I don't want to solve this puzzle alone. We've become quite close this moon," he mewed. Her ears burned. "I really like you. I _love _you! I want you to be my mate."

She looked at him with shock in her eyes. Did she love him that much?

"I love you, too," Needledawn breathed, "I would love to be your mate."

He purred and nuzzled her. She wondered if she had done the right thing, after all, she has had some flings before and she knew that one particular cat still had feelings for her. Foxclaw, for sure, had expressed his love to her. He usually invited her on walks and hunts.

_Oh well, _she thought, _Foxclaw can jump off a cliff. _

Right now, Shadestar was the only cat on her mind.

_Not to mention he's a lead—_

_No! I will not take advantage of him like that!  
But he's a leader! You technically have a lot of power in your paws. _

_I. Will. Not. Do. That. _

_I would so do that! No dawn patrols for life! _

_Well, evil conscience, I'm not you. _

* * *

Duskblossom walked out of the den with Cloudfish by her side.

_Ugh, I don't even know how I feel about him! I used to, like, _love, _him but now I'm not sure!_

Sighing, she glanced around the camp to find Cinderbird. She was the expert on all things tom related.

The gray she-cat was nowhere in sight.


	6. Chapter 5

Yawning, Cinderbird woke up. Something seemed wrong. The air was still and colder than it was before. She bounded out of the warrior's den.

"What's happening?" she asked, hoping some cat would answer.

The other warriors were focused on something else, whispering quietly among themselves.

"Sagepond," she meowed, trotting towards the black-and-white tom, "What's happening?"

The _handsome _tom looked at her grimly. "A DarkClan cat snuck into the nursery and stole Dovekit and Thistlekit. Mossysong is devastated."

A flash of shock rang through her. It was a huge insult, their father, Bramblestorm, was one of the highest ranking warriors in the Clan.

"What are we going to do?" she gasped.

"I don't know," he murmured, "Maybe I could ask Shadestar if we could go on a search patrol. Just you and me…"

As much as she liked the attention, she wished a tom could take this, and _her, _seriously. This was a big offense, and this could start a war.

"Maybe," she replied flirtatiously, blinking her pretty blue eyes. After all, she liked the attention.

"I'll go ask," he purred to her, his eyes sparkling.

_Ugh, just saying, Foxclaw would be a better choice. If I had just asked him what happened…_

She watched him trot up to Shadestar, who was talking with the senior warriors. Bramblestorm was absent from the meeting, and she guessed that he was either reassuring his mate, or trying to find his kits.

The silent exchange took a while. Sagepond was trying to convince the leader that it would be safe, and she saw Needledawn roll her eyes.

_Well, _sorry, _Needledawn. You know I like toms. _

Sagepond padded back to her. Cinderbird almost hoped that Shadestar said no.

"Shadestar said that the Clan could spare two cats for a while, but we have to be back halfway to sundown."

Halfway to sundown was a _long_ time.

"Okay," she mewed brightly, flicking her tail on his nose.

He sneezed at the touch and chased her out of camp.

"So," he meowed slowly, "Where shall we start?"

He let their pelts touch, and she felt a small rush of annoyance. He was like any other tom.

"How about by the GustClan border?" she suggested.

"Whatever you say…"

Any sensible cat could see that going to an enemy's border at the start of a _war, _was a bad idea. She rolled her eyes. Why did he have to be handsome?

"Let's go," Cinderbird meowed boldly. Maybe a tom would help distract her.

He tried to twine their tails together, probably remembering her tom history, but she nonchalantly brushed him off. They had to find these kits, right now, he was second.

_Good for you, Cinderbird. You're finally putting your Clan before toms._

She let a small flinch come to her features. Was that true? Was this the first time she had ever done that? In her defense, she had never _met_ with toms from other Clans, just flirted with them at Gatherings.

"They're probably at one of the camps," she muttered with dismay.

"Who?" Sagepond asked blankly.

"The kits, stupid furball!" Cinderbird scolded him.

_Has he any sense? _

"Sorry, darling," he meowed, licking her cheek.

Her first reaction was delight. She soaked in the attention for a heartbeat, then went back to annoyance.

"Come, on, let's go back to camp. We can't do this with just two cats," she mewed.

"You don't want to stay and hun—"

"No!"

Shadestar wasn't surprised when they announced the failure of finding the kits. Cinderbird figured they could have tried harder, but Sagepond was being so _typical! _She wanted a tom with a challenge, not one that would just flirt right back.

_I could try Rippleshade… Cloudfish is more my style, but I couldn't do that to Duskblossom. However much she denies it, I know she likes him. Rippleshade usually likes the attention, so it's a win-win. _

Cinderbird quickly scanned the clearing for the handsome tom. She wasn't surprised to find him drowsing in the weak sunlight. Avoiding the snow piles, she headed towards him. Plopping down on her side, she found that the sunlight wasn't even warm.

"How can you sleep in this?" Cinderbird asked teasingly, "The warrior's den is much warmer."

Blinking his eyes tiredly, he looked over at her. "You know me, I'd _hate_ to be in the way."

"Yeah, right," she laughed.

He purred. "So, find the kits?"

She scoffed, "No. I made Sagepond head back. He was being so annoying."

"Tell me about it." He rolled his eyes.

Sagepond and Rippleshade were littermates. Both toms had grown up very fond about their looks, and were spoiled by every cat.

Slowly inching closer to him, she rolled on her belly and looked up.

"Um, hi," he meowed, trying not to laugh when he found her right under his nose.

"Hey," she responded, blinking at him slowly.

"Rippleshade, you lazy bum, time to actually get up!"

Rippleshade and Cinderbird turned towards the sound of the voice and saw Mistbriar, trotting up towards them.

"What can I say?" he meowed under his breath to her, "The ladies love me."

Both exasperated and amused, she shook her head and watched him pad off.

"Cinderbird?" A shaky voice meowed.

She turned and saw Quailwhisker hobbling towards her. The she-cat was ancient, but she refused to stay cooped up in the elder's den.

"Hi, Quailwhisker. How are you?" Cinderbird asked, brightly.

"Alive," the elder muttered. She shook her pelt and sat down next to Cinderbird.

"Well, that's good. Any sign that the snow will stop?"

"No. The sky is alive with snow clouds. There will be heavier snow, I can tell."

The elderly cat had learned to read the weather, and could forecast it to any cat.

"Any sign of the kits?" Quailwhisker rasped.

"No, Shadestar has set out small patrols, but he's afraid this is a ploy to lure us out," Cinderbird answered.

"Ah," came the weary reply.

"Quailwhisker, would you like for me to fetch you some prey?" Cinderbird asked her.

Now that she noticed, the elder was looking more boney than usual. Waiting for a reply, she saw the proud cat hesitate.

"Yes, you would love some? Great!" Cinderbird answered for her.

Bounding over to the freshkill pile, she was a bit surprised to see it smaller than usual.

Dropping a meaty carp at the dark brown she-cat's paws, she recognized relief in her eyes.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"Cinderbird!" The gray she-cat turned and saw her sister racing towards her.

"If you'll excuse me," Cinderbird murmured to Quailwhisker and bounded towards Duskblossom.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" Duskblossom exclaimed.

"I was searching with _Sagepond_ earlier," Cinderbird offered.

"Ooh, _Sagepond," _Duskblossom teased.

"No, nothing like that. My StarClan, he's annoying!" Cinderbird rolled her eyes.

"I need tom help," her sister looked her dead in the eyes.

Twitching her whiskers, Cinderbird responded, "Who's the lucky tom? Let, me guess, Cloudfish?"

"I'm supposed to tell you!" Duskblossom protested good-humoredly, "But yes, it's Cloudfish. I just don't understand! One moment he ignores me, next he's inviting me on hunts, walks. I don't get it!"

Cinderbird frowned. That was a problem.

"Well, by ignoring you, he could be trying to speed up or slow down the relationship. You know, playing hard to get."

_Was there a flash of guilt in her eyes? _

"He could also be trying to end the relationship without hurting your feelings."

"Oh," Duskblossom meowed softly, "Thanks."

"No problem!" Cinderbird mewed.

"When is Shadestar going to officially hunt for Dovekit and Thistlekit?" Duskblossom wondered.

"I don't know. Bramblestorm and Mossysong are frantic. They could be in DarkClan's camp, or in GustClan's. Either camp is a huge risk to the Clan," Cinderbird replied.

"Yeah, I guess," Duskblossom murmured.

"So, I was talking to Rippleshade earlier." Cinderbird waited to let her words sink in.

Duskblossom looked interested. "Is he another _victim?_" she asked, teasingly.

"You could call him that," Cinderbird purred, "He really is nice. I like him."

She wondered why Duskblossom looked taken aback. Were they seeing each other?

"Yeah," Duskblossom stammered.

"Okay, see you later," Cinderbird mewed, flicking her sister with her tail.

"Bye," Duskblossom echoed.

Cinderbird padded through camp.

_I should probably hunt. I wonder who would come with me…_

"Foxclaw!" she squealed.

The handsome red tom turned and she noticed his eyes lit up when he saw her.

"Hey, how are you?" she meowed, licking his cheek.

"Great," he purred.

"Up for hunting?" she asked him, her eyes round and pleading.

"Of course," he rumbled, "Can Daypaw come? I promised we'd go do something today. She's terribly excited about the battle and I wanted to keep her mind off of it."

"That's fine. I hoped it would be just you and me, though…" Cinderbird mewed, dramatically.

"Drama queen," Foxclaw laughed.

"Let's go!" Cinderbird meowed.

"Sure, let me get Daypaw."

Daypaw bounded over as her mentor called her. Cinderbird noticed that the small light gray she-cat looked a bit perturbed to see her with her mentor.

"Hey, Daypaw," Cinderbird greeted her.

Daypaw nodded stiffly.

"Day, we're going hunting," Foxclaw told her.

"Shouldn't we be more concerned about the battle? Is it safe to go outside?" Daypaw argued.

"It's perfectly fine," Cinderbird reassured her.

Daypaw still looked towards her mentor for conformation. He nodded and she relaxed.

"Come on," Cinderbird purred, playfully pushing Foxclaw.

_Wow, Cinderbird. Playing with three toms' hearts today, are you?_

_Hush. _

Foxclaw scooped up snow and threw it at her. Daypaw rolled her eyes and followed them more slowly.

_What's wrong with her? _Cinderbird wondered.

Foxclaw and Cinderbird slowed down to let the apprentice catch up. Cinderbird purposefully nuzzled Foxclaw, just to make Daypaw mad. As predicted, Daypaw screwed her eyes up and looked away, while the red tom blushed under the touch.

Laughing, Cinderbird steered them towards the creek. As she hurried ahead, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daypaw lean toward Foxclaw. She was whispering something in his ear.

Pricking her ears, Cinderbird made out, "Foxclaw, she's just using you. Tomorrow she'll be back with Sagepond and then switch to Rippleshade or some other tom. I've seen her flirt with _Hailpaw._"

_Is that true? _Cinderbird wondered, a little hurt.

Foxclaw seemed to consider his apprentice's words before catching up to Cinderbird.

"What are we hunting?" she purred, touching noses.

"Fish, of course," he chuckled, "What else?"

_You know what? I'm going to prove Daypaw wrong. I'm going to stay with Foxclaw for at least a quarter moon, _Cinderbird thought determinedly.

Blinking her beautiful eyes at him, Cinderbird huddled next to him, her paw out, ready to strike at fish.

He seemed to melt under her touch. Foxclaw, she remembered, was a player too. He often switched between she-cats.

_I honestly just want to find a good tom._


	7. Chapter 6

A red pelt darted in front of her. She instinctively chased the red. A fox-red tail flashed in front of her. She batted at it, and missed by a mouse-length. The red flash stopped and revealed a feline face. The cat she wanted to see was standing right in front of her. Purring, she rubbed against the handsome tom's neck.

"Hey," she murmured.

His chest was shaking, he was purring so hard. Did that mean he liked her?

"I hope you like a challenge," he breathed and darted away.

She was left confused and alone in the moonlight. The only sound was the gentle river murmuring.

* * *

"Wake up, Daypaw!" A voice shouted and rattled the reeds.

Daypaw stretched and opened her eyes, expecting to see the other apprentices, but only Gingerpaw remained. The red tom was still fast asleep, his mentor must be busy or else he, too, would be awake.

_What time is it? It feels like its way before dawn! _she thought.

"Daypaw!" Her mentor warned.

"Coming, coming," she grumbled.

"It's about time!" Foxclaw greeted her as she stumbled out of the apprentice den.

Daypaw resisted a sigh as she saw her mentor with Cinderbird. The two cats were laughing and twining their tails together. Every cat knew that Cinderbird was bound for trouble, she enjoyed playing with tom's hearts and Foxclaw was no different. Foxclaw was a handsome cat, she would never admit it, but Daypaw had a small kit-crush on him as a new apprentice.

Cinderbird and Foxclaw together would only equal trouble. To make matters worse, Cinderbird had insisted coming to training sessions and giving her unwanted advice. Every session with Cinderbird, Daypaw had to hold herself back from screaming, "I don't care what you think!"

"Hey, Daypaw," Cinderbird giggled, still gazing at Foxclaw.

Daypaw managed a mumble in greeting.

"Daypaw!" Foxclaw snapped, "Show some respect! Cinderbird has kindly offered her time too help you become a better warrior!"

Daypaw lowered her head, seething inside.

"That's not the only reason," Cinderbird purred softly, leaning closer to the red tom.

Daypaw wanted to cringe.

_This is so unfair! Lucky Gingerpaw. Berryoak never brought Frecklelight to any sessions before she had kits. _

Gingerpaw was one of Daypaw's best friends. She and the bright red tom had known each other their whole lives.

"Come on, let's go," Foxclaw ordered, still looking at Cinderbird.

The two cats gazed at each other the whole entire trek to the training grounds.

_It's only been three days since they started "liking" each other, _Daypaw thought.

"Okay, Daypaw, today we are going to learn about leap-and-hold…"

* * *

"So how was another day with Cinderbird?" Gingerpaw asked.

Daypaw rolled her eyes, "I don't even want to talk about it."

All of the apprentices were eating after an exhausting day of training and patrols.

At the sound of Cinderbird, Hailpaw pricked his ears. "You're so lucky! I would love to spend a day with Cinderbird!"

Gingerpaw shot an amused glance at Daypaw, who had many emotions in her gaze, mostly mixes of anger.

Willowpaw rolled over and looked at Hailpaw.

"_Please!" _she scoffed, "You would love to spend a day with any she-cat in the Clan."

Hailpaw looked sheepish. "That's not necessarily true," he stared, but Willowpaw had already turned her attention to Gingerpaw.

Daypaw wanted to just sigh. Apprenticeship was hard; there were too many she-cats training. Rosepaw, Willowpaw, Specklepaw, Mothpaw, and herself. Competition for toms attention might be the hardest thing about training. There were only two toms training to the five she-cats.

"Gingerpaw," Willowpaw drawled, "Want to share a trout?"

Gingerpaw hesitated while the other she-cat 'paws gasped. Asking a tom to share food was one of the boldest things you could ever do. Jealousy seared through Daypaw's pelt.

"As long as it's nice and plump," Gingerpaw replied carefully, glancing around the clearing nervously.

Willowpaw shot a triumphant look to the competing she-cats around her. Hailpaw looked disappointed that Willowpaw had chose Gingerpaw over him.

Mothpaw rolled her eyes at Willowpaw. Mothpaw and Daypaw had ben best friends since birth, and although Mothpaw didn't have feelings for Gingerpaw, she knew Daypaw had some.

"Has there been any news on Dovekit and Thistlekit?" Daypaw asked her friend.

Mothpaw shook her head, "No, but Bramblestorm and Mossysong are scouting out DarkClan and GustClan territory. They're frantic, they've been missing for three days already!"

Worried, Daypaw took a bit out of her freshly killed pike and chewed slowly. Where could the kits be? Would Shadestar be willing to risk the fate of the Clan for two kits?

* * *

The red flash appeared again after running off.

"Hey," she called, "wait up!"

The red tom slowed down and let the struggling she-cat catch up.

"Why'd you run off like that?" she puffed, trying to catch her breath.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Why were you with _her_?" she inquired, with a flash of hurt in her eyes.

"Why were you with _him_?" he shot back.

"What? _Him? _You're talking about—"

He nodded.

She went on, "No, nothing like that. Besides, he's way older than me. I don't go for older cats," she replied, finishing with a murmur.

He looked at her with disbelief.

"It's true!" she defended her self.

"Anyways, why where you with that excuse for a she-cat?" she repeated.

He looked a bit sheepish when he replied, "Well I-I—"

She waited for him to continue.

"Will you trust me?" he asked, looking at her eyes like nothing else was more important.

She hated when he did that to her. It was like he was asking her if she wanted the moon.

"I'll trust you," she purred.

* * *

Chills ran through Duskblossom's fur. The days, while they should be becoming warmer, were instead becoming colder. Duskblossom had heard elders gossiping about the

probability that the weather was a sign from StarClan.

Just last night, Dovekit and Thistlekit had been dropped off at the camp entrance. Wailing, they had woken the camp up. There was no sign of any intruders, except for a few pieces of fresh-kill missing. Duskblossom assumed that there was only two or three cats, the thieving Clans would have taken more.

The two kits were in good shape, a nursing queen must have taken care of them. Duskblossom hadn't even seen them since their arrival, Mossysong had kept them strictly in the nursery.

"Duskblossom!" Cinderbird panted.

Duskblossom turned and saw her sister slow down to a halt after a furious run.

"What happened?" Duskblossom gasped, expecting a major disaster.

"Needledawn just told me the senior warriors are considering moving the camp," Cinderbird replied, alarm in her eyes.

Duskblossom considered the proposition. Maybe it would be a good idea, after all, there would be less attacks on camp, at least for a while.

"Well," Duskblossom started slowly, "Don't you think that would be a good plan?"

"What?" Cinderbird accused her, "How can you even think that? This is the home that we've grown up in! And besides, why should we be scared of those scrawny good for nothings? We can easily smash them like a beetle."

"Calm down, we might be living the camp, not the territory," she reassured the frantic she-cat.

In reply, Cinderbird whipped her tail and searched the camp for an unsuspecting tom to vent to.

Duskblossom sighed and rolled her eyes. Once the fiery she-cat was in a mood and set on something, there was no getting her out of it.


	8. Chapter 7

Bustling out of the warriors den, Mistbriar shot a wink at one of the admiring toms. She knew they loved her. Why not encourage them? Her inner conscience could give her plenty of reasons why, but luckily the very charming deputy had plenty of ways to block it out.

"Cloudfish," she cooed, "Would you _please _lead a hunting patrol? The elders are getting _hungry." _

He shot a dashing look at her and cats clamored to be on his patrol.

_Now that is a handsome kitty._

"_Saaagepond,_" Mistbriar sang.

He looked at her with such admiration, she knew that she had him eating out of her paws. Tossing her head, she shot him a smile.

"Could you possibly lead a patrol to check up on the _bad kitties_?" she pleaded.

"Of cour—"

"Great," she interrupted. "Now, if that darling cat over there could lead another patrol to check on StormClan's border…"

Mistbriar rolled her eyes and continued, "Yes, I know, we're bound to each other as allies, but according to the warrior code, we still need to check on it."

Rippleshade lazily got to his paws and organized his patrol.

_Now, that's all of the single cats… Ooh, I forgot Foxclaw. I'm going to ask him to hunt with me alone. He is so adorable!_

"Um, Duskflower? No, wait, Duskblossom! Sorry 'bout that. Now, lead a hunting patrol near one of the deeper pools, 'kay?" Mistbriar ordered, her eyes still flirting with Rippleshade, who was still getting his patrol together.

_Wait, did she just really roll her eyes? Duskpetal, I mean Duskblossom, just earned a bright and early dawn patrol voyage. _

"_Shaaaadestar_," Mistbriar called, remembering an important detail. Not her fur, of course. Although, maybe she could fit in a quick grooming before he agreed to her plans.

Walking into her leader's den, she found Shadestar cuddling with Needledawn.

"Ahem," she coughed, even though this was an amusing sight.

Needledawn flew up, apparently very surprised at the interruption, while Shadestar licked his paw in embarrassment.

"Yes, Mistbriar? Can I help you?" he asked, a bit ruffled.

"I was wondering if I could speak to you in _private," _she replied, glancing at Needledawn.

Needledawn brushed pelts with her mate and exited the den.

"I sincerely think we need to move camps," Mistbriar announced.

Looking at him to see his reaction, she saw nothing but interest on his face.

"DarkClan and GustClan know where we are. Even though we could take them, they could easily defeat elders and kits when patrols are sent out."

Shadestar nodded at her words. "Yes, I agree with that. I'll make you a deal, if you can find a suitable camp _in our territory, _we can move camps. If you can't find a camp, we stay here. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Mistbriar mewed.

"Cinderbird, Silverrose, Mintripple, come with me," Mistbriar tossed over her shoulder as she hurried out of camp.

These were her three best friends, cats who understood what it was like to be fawned over by toms. Cinderbird was a player, Silverrose was pretty-ish, and Mintripple was… nice.

"Okay, you know the drill. We are looking for a new camp, one that is, obviously livable, suitable, and hidden," Mistbriar explained.

Cinderbird looked horrified. "What's wrong with our old camp?" she demanded.

"Nothing, nothing. We just need new _defense _against our enemies and the kits and elders will be safer in a new camp," Mistbriar meowed.

Although calming down, Cinderbird still looked alarmed. She had the sense not to argue with her deputy.

Silverrose was nodding, meowing, "That makes sense."

"Exactly! Now spread out, groups of two and explore the territory," Mistbriar ordered.

She and Mintripple decided to look in the overgrown brush for camps. The river spilt into two here and wove around it, almost creating an island. Reeds encircled it and willow trees provided shelter. Only daring, young warriors and foolish apprentices explored it.

Leaping over the river and pushing herself through the reeds, Mistbriar looked back to see a hesitant Mintripple waiting with a nervous look on her face.

"Come on, it's okay," Mistbriar reassured her.

Nodding, Mintripple took a flying jump across the river. As she landed, her foot slipped on dangerous rocks, resulting in a sprained paw. At least, Mistbriar hoped it was sprained.

"Mintripple," Mistbriar gasped, "Are you okay?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat looked up with pain in her eyes. "Does it look like I'm okay?"

"Okay, okay, sorry. Little touchy there. Let's get you back to camp. Maybe we can run into a patrol," Mistbriar suggested.

Mintripple nodded and pushed her self to her three paws. Mistbriar supported her all of the way home. Unfortunately, Ripplesh- er, the patrols weren't in sight.

"Goosesight!" Mistbriar yowled.

Goosesight scrambled up from his dozing place and waddled over to the two she-cats.

"How can I help you?" he yawned.

"How can you help us— What?! Can't you see that's she's hurt?" Mistbriar demanded.

He chuckled, "Yes, I can see."

"_Then do something about it!" _she snarled, her temper slipping out of her paws.

"Control your fish. I've been a medicine cat since your mother was born. I was at her kitting, in fact, it was the longest kitting I've ever seen. I rememb—"

"Just. Do. Something," Mistbriar hissed.

He nodded, with a mixture of hurt and tiredness in his eyes, and led the injured she-cat to his den.

"Ugh," she scoffed, watching them.

_He needs to get an apprentice. He's so pathetic_, she thought.

"Shadestar! Shadestar's been hurt! Some cat get Goosesight!" A terrified yowl spilt the air. Mistbriar instantly jumped to her paws and ran towards the medicine den. She found Goosesight curled up in his nest. Mintripple was in the nest next to him.

"Goosesight!" Mistbriar gasped, "Goosesight we need you!"

"What do you want now?" he yawned.

"Shadestar's been hurt!" she yelled at him.

He lazily scrambled up, heading out of his den. Mistbriar tried to ignore the faint flash of fear in his eyes. What life was Shadestar on?

She followed the pathetic medicine cat out of his den and found Needledawn pacing Shadestar.

"Please, some cat help him!" The silver cat was begging.

Goosesight sauntered over to his leader and sniffed him.

"He should live ," he meowed, looking suspiciously at a particular wound. "What happened to him?"

"DarkClan," Needledawn spat, "Those wretched cats came and attacked us while we were hunting! We overtook them, of course, but they had a moment of surprise against us."

With that, Mistbriar noticed bleeding scratches on Needledawn's chest.

"He needs to go to his den, and I'll go get some herbs for him," Goosesight meowed, "Hey, Mistbriar, go get some marigold and cobwebs from my den, will you?"

Rolling her eyes at the lazy cat, she obeyed and retrieved the herbs.

"Is he really going to be okay?" Needledawn was pestering Goosesight when Mistbriar came back.

"Yes, he should. Although, there is a wound that might give him some trouble," Goosesight rambled.

The silver she-cat, who had just been reassured, had a new look of terror in her eyes.

"What?" she gasped, "But he's on his seventh life! He can't afford any trouble! I'm expecting his kits!"

* * *

**Hi! I hope you like the story so far! I need some suggestions for Shadestar and Needledawn's kit names! It would be really great if y'all could give me some ideas. Thanks! Happy reading!**


	9. Chapter 8

"Duskblossom!"

She turned and saw her sister racing towards her.

"There are strange cats on the border," Cinderbird gasped.

"What?" Duskblossom asked, a shiver rising up inside of her. Somehow she knew that this was different from other reports of intruders.

"Come, on! Every cat's already there," Cinderbird tossed over her shoulder as she ran off.

"Every cat's where?" Duskblossom asked, rushing after her.

"Gathering place, duh," Cinderbird meowed, her words faint.

Following her, Duskblossom realized she was right. _Every _cat was there. IceClan wasn't the only Clan there, even cats from DarkClan, GustClan, and StormClan had came to challenge the intruding cats. The threat of battle had softened as the cats hung on to every word the foreign cats spoke. Slowing down, no cat noticed the two sister's arrival. Sitting down at the edge of the crowd, Duskblossom leaned forward to hear the faint words spoken. Briarstar, Shadestar, Graystar, and Driftstar were all seated next to the intruders, listening. She hoped that no cat would realize that the IceClan leader was injured, last night he had lost a life.

"We came from far away," the big gray tom spoke.

Two cats, a big dark, gray tom and a lighter gray she-cat were explaining their situation to the leaders. Both cats looked anxious, but not by the number of cats there.

"My mate," he mewed, nodding to the she-cat, "and I ran away from Twolegplace. I was held captive there and she helped me escape. We ran away together."

Shadestar nodded.

The gray tom continued, "We wandered in circles for days, lost and afraid. She saved me from dying."

"She saved you?" Shadestar asked, in disbelief.

"Yes," the stranger replied, almost looking embarrassed, "I should have known not to be surprised by kittypets."

The she-cat scuffled her paws, "Any cat would have done the same. Anyways, as my mate said, I was a kittypet in, what you cats might know of, Twolegplace."

She waited for the gasps to die down. Kittypets in, even around, the Clan's territory were unknown of, only known in elder's stories. Duskblossom had just assumed that they were merely myths. These _creatures, _lived with _Twolegs. _Who in their right mind would live with _Twolegs? _Twolegplaces were horrifying.

"It took me a bit of convincing for me to just leave my home. I didn't want to leave. That was were I grew up, where all of my friends were, and I had loving housefolk to take care of me."

More gasps were uttered. _Loving? _Twolegs, housefolk, whatever they were called?

"Eventually, he gave up and left without me. I found him, almost dead, and we found our way here," she finished, with a note of pride at saving her mate.

Duskblossom let out a gasp of admiration for the gray she-cat. She must have loved her mate a lot for her to leave her home.

"Wow," Duskblossom whispered to her sister.

Cinderbird nodded, looking awestruck.

"What are you doing here?" Briarstar asked.

The big tom hesitated. "We-we are searching for cats we know. We came to a dead end here."

"Ahh," Graystar meowed skeptically.

"No, really!" the gray tom snapped.

Specklepaw and Nightpaw, apprentices from DarkClan, broke through the crowd and approached the light gray she-cat.

"What was it like, living with _Twolegs?_" Nightpaw asked, shuddering a bit.

Graystar didn't scold her, perhaps looking forward to the answer. The rest of the Clans leaned forward.

"It was… delightful. I always had a full belly, there was friends and toys to play with, and I could just sleep the day away if I wanted to," she sighed.

Duskblossom saw some of the other apprentices looking jealous, as if they wished they could do that.

"Although," she continued, "I didn't have any freedom. I couldn't go off and hunt, like you cats probably do, and I had to wait for my housefolk to let me out of the den."

A giant shudder passed through the crowd.

"That must have been horrible," Specklepaw sympathized.

The light gray stranger looked at her mate and answered carefully, "I miss it _sometimes. _I think this life is better than being a kittypet."

"Yes, I do, too," Nightpaw gasped, looking shocked at the descriptions.

"Wow," Specklepaw whispered as her and her fellow apprentice scampered back to the crowd.

"Well, where were we _before_ we got interrupted?" Graystar asked, shooting a glare at the two curious apprentices.

"We were asking them _why _they are here," Briarstar glared at the two aliens.

"There's no need for hostility," the gray tom meowed calmly.

Briarstar looked sheepish.

"We are here because… We are trying to find another… Cats," he started slowly.

"Ah," Graystar mewed, "And who are these cats?"

"Who are these cats?" Cedarflank called from the crowd, "How about who are _they?" _

"Yes, who are you?" More voices snarled.

The intruder looked shocked at the questions but relaxed and answered, "I am Graystripe of ThunderClan, and my mate, Millie, and I are trying to find ThunderClan."

Shock flared through every single cat. There were other Clans out there?

* * *

Daypaw paced the clearing. She couldn't believe that Foxclaw wouldn't let her go! At least Mothpaw couldn't go either. It was just the two apprentices, queens and kits, and the elders. _Willowpaw _got to go.

"I wonder what's happening," Mothpaw would ponder every five heartbeats.

Right now, curiosity was nagging at Daypaw's paws, eating her up. Every fiber in her body was telling her to go see the two strangers.

"Ugh, what are they doing?" Mothpaw asked again, falling to the ground. She looked ready to give up.

"I don't know," Daypaw moaned, definitely not for the first time.

Why, oh, why, would Foxclaw be this cruel and make them die of curiosity?

The queens didn't seem curious about the thought of new arrivals, but worried. The elders relished something to gossip about, but they were all sleeping. It was just Daypaw and Mothpaw that were left to wonder and wonder. What was happening? Was there fighting? How many intruders were there? Why did they have to be the only ones who were unable to know?

"I bet a moon of dawn patrols that Nightpaw got to talk to them," Mothpaw complained.

Daypaw suspected she was right. Nightpaw was known for being overly curious and talkative. Usually, her best friend, Specklepaw, would go along with everything she did.

"Foxclaw better take me battle training tomorrow," Daypaw announced.

"Right, and no dawn patrols for a moon," Mothpaw agreed.

A rustling sound interrupted them. Mothpaw and Daypaw leaned forward and pricked their ears. Was the patrol back? Or were there enemies on their doorstep?

* * *

**Hey, hope you like the book! Random disclaimer time! (Mostly because I forgot at the beginning of the story ;) sorry) I, Poppyfrost wannabe, do not own Warriors. I think that's all you say, right?! Anyways, happy reading! :D**


	10. Chapter 9

Daypaw blinked her eyes open from a restless sleep. Foxclaw had told her about the strange cats. She was entirely confused. What _had _happened? All that he said hadn't made sense. There were other Clans out there? Foxclaw mentioned a _ThunderClan_? There can't just be _one_ other Clan, there has to be more! Daypaw didn't know what to think about this. The two cats, Graystripe and Millie, were staying by the Gathering place, with the four Clans on either side of them. There was no place that they could run. Unless they snuck out in the middle of the night, while every cat was sleeping. But, they wouldn't do that, right?

"Daypaw, hurry up," Foxclaw meowed.

"Yeah, Daypaw," Willowpaw called mockingly.

Daypaw resisted the urge to spit in Willowpaw's face. Instead, she settled for an eye roll. Nevertheless, she obeyed her mentor, praying to StarClan that Cinderbird wasn't with him.

_Please, oh, please no Cinderbird, _she thought hopefully.

Peeking out of the apprentice den, she would probably die on the spot if she saw her mentor's current "lover" wrapped around him.

_Am I jealous? _she thought suddenly to herself.

Catching a glimpse of gray fur next to her mentor, Daypaw braced herself for a cheerful greeting.

_No, oh no…_

This cat _was not _Cinderbird. Instead, another cat that Daypaw loathed, was flirting with her mentor! Mistbriar was whispering in Foxclaw's ear, and trying to twine her tail with his! Foxclaw was trying not to close his eyes and give into her, but Daypaw could see him weakening. The pretty she-cat was almost too much for him.

_Oh no! Have kits with Cinderbird for all I care! Just don't get close to Mistbriar!_

"But Foxclaw," Mistbriar was whining when Daypaw came into earshot, "Surely you can send her off with another mentor for the day… Just this one time? For me? I let Willowpaw go with Sagepond all the time."

Foxclaw shot his melting look at her, "I can't do that… I promised training today."

She shot pleading eyes at him, but that just made the handsome red tom shake his head.

"I'm sorry," he called after her, as she stormed off.

"You will be," she breathed, but the tom didn't hear her.

_Wow, apparently she's not used to toms _rejecting _her. _

"Hi, Foxclaw," Daypaw chirped, trying to pretend she didn't overhear their conversation.

"Hey, Daypaw," Foxclaw murmured, still staring after Mistbriar.

"Are we still going to practice battle mov-"

She was interrupted by a yowl of "Hey, Foxclaw! Wait up."

Again, why did her mentor have to be so _cute_?

Cinderbird, to Daypaw's dismay, was trotting towards Foxclaw. He looked happy for a distraction from the deputy. She stopped in front of him and he _nuzzled _her. Daypaw shuddered.

"Hey," Cinderbird mewed, "I missed you."

Trying not to gag, Daypaw couldn't help waiting for Foxclaw's response.

"Hey," he purred, looking into her eyes.

Why couldn't he see that she was using him? Daypaw bet that tomorrow, Cinderbird would be bored with him.

"Are we training today?" Cinderbird asked him.

Daypaw flinched. _No, not another day with Cinderbird._

"Actually, I need to take Daypaw out by myself. Sorry, maybe another time," Foxclaw murmured, flashing Cinderbird a knowing look.

Daypaw pricked her ears, surprised. Cinderbird nodded, pressing her nose to Foxclaw's chest in goodbye.

"Come on," Foxclaw meowed to Daypaw.

The two cats raced each other to the training grounds. Daypaw pumped her legs as she saw her mentor flash past her. The reeds and the river were a whirl as she raced through their territory. Her short legs weren't a match for Foxclaw's long ones.

"We're here," he panted.

Daypaw looked around the training clearing. Every time, this amazed her. The reeds encircled the soft marsh ground, and tall willow trees shaded the clearing. It was absolutely perfect.

"What are we working on today?" Daypaw asked eagerly.

"We are going to work on hide-and-seek."

Daypaw tilted her head in confusion. Hide-and-seek? That was a kit's game, not a warrior to-be's. Daypaw wanted to learn battle moves and how to protect her Clan.

"Hide-and-seek?" Daypaw sighed softly in disappointment.

"Yes, it is an important skill to know. You need to know how to hide from enemies and how to seek enemies," Foxclaw explained.

"Oh," Daypaw mewed, pricking her ears.

"I'll start by hiding," he told her, "Come and find me after the sun moves to the next tree branch."

Daypaw nodded, anticipating the search. She settled down and tucked her paws beneath her chest and watched the sun closely.

Foxclaw slipped into the reeds. He knew all of the hiding spots, but so did Daypaw. She could find him in no time.

Looking up, she realized she had been lost in her thoughts, as the sun was beyond the next tree branch.

She stumbled to her paws and trotted into the reed bed. Peering into the reeds, she stopped to taste the air. She could faintly smell Foxclaw's scent, it smelled like fresh water and trout, no, minnows, but his scent wasn't alone. He was with another cat! Had he been ambushed? She crouched down and pushed her way into the thicket. His scent trail kept on going and she realized he was heading for the cave.

She sprinted to the cave, slowing down when she could see the opening. Was he in there? She crouched down and creeped into the cave. Shadows were swirling and she made out two cats in the darkness. Her heart sunk. She should have known. Foxclaw was with Cinderbird, they were purring and entwining their tails together.

"Found you," Daypaw called halfheartedly.

Foxclaw spun around and looked at his apprentice with guilt in his eyes.

* * *

Foxclaw was purring in her ear. He had snuck off from Daypaw to spend time with her, and Cinderbird was pleased he had. She purred and rubbed her face along his cheek.

"Found you."

Foxclaw turned sharply to look at his apprentice, whose eyes were dull with disappointment.

Cinderbird looked at Foxclaw guiltily. She knew Daypaw wasn't quite fond of her, and this situation would only make it worse.

"Daypaw," she began.

"I'll handle this," Foxclaw said gravely, but gently.

Cinderbird took a step back, almost hiding behind Foxclaw. His broad shoulders protected her from the blaze of Daypaw's hurt and anger.

"Day, I'm sorry," he started, "I'm sorry that I lied to you."

Daypaw sat down, with hurt glimmering in her eyes..

"Look, I really didn't mean to hurt you, just, well, I love Cinderbird."

_He loves me? _Cinderbird thought. The gray she-cat didn't know if she was ready to take their relationship that far. She'd meant it as a fling, not something permanent. She wasn't going to say anything, though, after all, Daypaw would probably tear out her throat if she knew.

"You love her?" Daypaw questioned, looking young and naive in the weak light.

_What if she loves him, too? She's just going to get more hurt, _Cinderbird thought.

"Yes, Daypaw, I do. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I'm sorry I tricked you. I-I just needed to see her," Foxclaw rapidly tried to explain.

"Why?" Daypaw asked.

"T-to ask her if she thought you were ready for your assessment!" he improvised.

Cinderbird tried not to look surprised. Daypaw definitely _was not _ready to become a warrior, the young apprentice needed much more experience.

"Cinderbird, am I?" Daypaw asked, hope replacing the hurt.

Cinderbird hesitated. What could she say?

"Daypaw, let's talk about it on the way home, okay?" Cinderbird tried to buy some time.

Daypaw nodded, bounding out of the entrance. Cinderbird shot a glare at Foxclaw.

"Are you serious?" she hissed, "Daypaw is nowhere ready!"

Foxclaw shrugged, "Maybe she'll fail her assessment."

"You can't do that to her! Do you even know the embarrassment she'll go through if she fails?"

"Come on," Foxclaw breathed, "She's waiting."

The pair walked through the entrance to an expectant Daypaw.

"So, Daypaw… You're asking me if I think you're ready, right?" Cinderbird drawled, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't hurt the apprentice.

"Yes," Daypaw mewed eagerly.

"Well, here's what I thin- Oh my StarClan!" Cinderbird shrieked.

An enemy patrol was behind them, attacking a trailing Foxclaw. Foxclaw was fighting like a lion, but there were too many DarkClan cats attacking him. The red tom was lashing out at his attackers, but they were too powerful. Cinderbird raced to help him, but she was held back by a cat.

"Nice try," the cat snarled in her ear.

"Some cat! Help!" Cinderbird screamed, hoping another patrol was nearby.

Daypaw darted towards Foxclaw, trying desperately to assist him, but the small apprentice was easily knocked away by a strong paw.

"Foxclaw!" Daypaw yelled as he was taken away.


	11. Chapter 10

Duskblossom stared at her sister in disbelief. Foxclaw had been abducted? Who would do such a thing? Cinderbird was pacing the clearing, wailing in shock. Shadestar was patiently listening to her story, with Daypaw occasionally putting in a detail.

"And you're sure it was DarkClan that took him?" The leader asked.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I recognized the fish-heart that grabbed me, it was Creektooth," Cinderbird snapped.

"I recognized the smell," Daypaw added.

"How are we going to get him back?" Cinderbird cried.

"Mistbriar will lead a patrol- don't worry, Cinderbird, you'll be on it- to DarkClan's camp, and negotiate a deal with Graystar. We'll get him back, don't worry," Shadestar reassured the worried she-cats.

Why was Shadestar being so calm about this? Taking Foxclaw, that was an act of war. DarkClan was begging for a reaction.

"We'll go in the morning," Mistbriar announced.

Cinderbird nodded, still pacing. Daypaw looked anxious and was clawing the ground.

"Daypaw, you won't go," Shadestar informed her.

The apprentice looked shocked, but hadn't the courage to stand up to him. She nodded and retreated to the apprentice den. Goosesight gently lead Cinderbird to the medicine cat's den. Duskblossom assumed he was giving her something for the chock.

"Rippleshade, Cinderbird, Berryoak, and Duskbloom will come on the patrol in the morning. We'll leave at sun-high."

_She can never get my name right._

* * *

Cinderbird lay with her head rested on her paws. In a few hours, the sun would rise and she could find Foxclaw.

In all honesty, Cinderbird didn't know if she was truly this upset about Foxclaw. She wasn't sure if her heart really loved him or if her heart just treating him as a fling. She knew that she was fond of him, but love? That was a question that needed to be answered.

Goosesight stirred. He had made her sleep in the medicine cat den, and would wake up to check on her every now and then.

"I have to get out of here," she whispered to herself.

Pushing herself to her paws, she quietly left the den and headed towards the dirtplace. Maybe the terrible smell would help clear her thoughts.

After she made dirt, she left the dirtplace and stopped. Cinderbird realized that her heart was aching to talk with someone. And she knew just the cat to talk to.

"Duskblossom?" Cinderbird whispered, pushing herself into the warrior's den.

The smoky gray she-cat was snoring gently in her nest. Cinderbird hoped that her sister hadn't noticed that Silverrose's nest had moved closer to Cloudfish's.

"Duskblossom?" Cinderbird called again.

Duskblossom blinked her eyes open sleepily. "Yeah?" she yawned.

"Can we talk?" Cinderbird whispered, feeling like a kit again.

"Cinderbird, it's not even dawn."

"Please?"

Sighing, Duskblossom gave in. "Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

"Foxclaw," Cinderbird replied instantly.

"Um, okay. You do know that I've never been in a serious relationship, but whatever," Duskblossom reminded her.

"I know, I know. I just need some cat to talk to, that's all," Cinderbird pleaded.

"Fine," Duskblossom agreed, resting her head on her paws.

"Well, I'm not sure if I love him. I just don't know! He told me he loved me, but I-I don't know if I love him, or just the thought of being in a relationship with him. I just don't know!" Cinderbird wailed quietly.

"Um, okay. Are you ready for a relationship?" Duskblossom inquired.

"No," came the small reply.

"Well, maybe you should…backoff? Just slowly draw back?" Duskblossom suggested.

Cinderbird nodded. "But, there's also… Daypaw. S-she doesn't like me. I've tried to be nice to her and help her and stuff, but she resents me! If I back off, I'll lose her respect forever. I heard her talking about how I'm such a player and Foxclaw shouldn't even try. I don't even know why I care about her respect, but I do!"

Duskblossom thought for a moment. "Why don't you get some sleep?" she finally told her sister.

Dawn light slowly crept into the medicine den. Cinderbird had taken her sister's advice and went back to the medicine den. Their talk had done her no good, but it was comforting to have some cat know your problems.

"How are you this morning?" Goosesight asked her.

"Okay," Cinderbird mewed.

"Are you sure you'll be okay going on the patrol?" he asked.

She nodded determinedly and walked out of the den.

"Hey, Cinderbird," Sagepond called, stopping.

"Hey," she replied, walking past him.

_Is he trying to hit on me now that Foxclaw's gone?_

Silverrose dropped a carp at her paws.

"Here," she meowed.

"Thank you," Cinderbird mewed. It was kind of her friend to think of her.

Taking a bite of the juicy carp, she relished the flavor. A flash of gray caught her eye. Mistbriar exited the warrior's den.

"Mistbriar! When are we leaving?" Cinderbird called.

"We'll leave after I sort out the patrols. Shadestar changed his mind and wanted me to go before sunhigh," the deputy replied.

"Okay," Cinderbird mewed and finished her meal.

Licking her lips to get the last bits of flavor, she watched the cats get ready for patrols. Berryoak touched noses with Frecklelight and Cinderbird felt a bit jealous for their strong relationship. The two cats always looked so _happy _together.

"Ready to go?" Rippleshade's deep meow sounded.

"Yeah," Cinderbird replied quietly.

Being with the handsome tom was tantalizing, but Cinderbird was aware that Daypaw was watching her closely.

"Mistbriar, let's go," Rippleshade urged.

Cinderbird knew Mistbriar couldn't say no to the silver tom.  
"Fine. Some cat get Dusksprout and Berryoak," she ordered.

"It's Duskblossom," Rippleshade corrected, as Cinderbird was opening her mouth to speak.

"Whatever," Mistbriar muttered, "Just get them."

Rippleshade bounded off in search for the cats. A few heartbeats later, he returned with the smoky gray she-cat and the cream tom.

"Alright, let's head off."

* * *

Cinderbird's usual personality was soaking back in. Her old, depressed self was washing away as she couldn't resist the temptation to flirt with Rippleshade.

The reeds were fading away, being replaced with pine needles and trees.

"We will find him, right?" Cinderbird meowed quietly to Duskblossom.

"Of course we will," Duskblossom reassured her.

"Quiet!" Mistbriar hushed them, "The camp is near."

All five cats dropped into a crouch and approached the camp gingerly. As the elders always said, "Hungry cats make dangerous enemies." Right now, DarkClan was unpredictable. There was no telling what the could do in their time of devastation.

Mistbriar pointed with her tail to a hole in the camp wall.

"We'll go in that way. And remember, this is _not _a battle patrol. We will not hurt any elders, kits, or queens."

"Of course you won't."

The IceClan patrol spun to face the voice. Owlfur, Deerwhisker, and Blizzardtooth were facing the intruders with a look of scorn on their faces. Cinderbird felt a rush of embarrassment that the could be caught of guard like that.

"Take us to Graystar," Mistbriar demanded, adding a hint of flirtation for Blizzardtooth.

The pretty deputy took a step closer to the white tom. She looked deep into his eyes.

"Pretty please?"

* * *

"What are you doing in my territory?" Graystar roared.

"We are looking for one of our cats _that you took,_" Rippleshade retorted.

"Where is Foxclaw?" Cinderbird inquired.

"I haven't taken Foxclaw," Graystar scoffed.

"Your Clan has. Creektooth attacked me in my territory," she shot back.

"I did no such thing!" Creektooth replied.

"Where is he?" Duskblossom demanded.

"_I _haven't taken him," Graystar insisted.

"Well, your Clan has." Mistbriar spoke for the first time.

Graystar hesitated.

"I will ask this one more time. _Where is Foxclaw?" _Mistbriar yowled.

Looking around the camp, Cinderbird realized that there wasn't many warriors in the camp. Where were they?

Briarsong slipped out of the nursery. Graystar glanced at her, and Cinderbird remembered that she was the mother of his kits. The tortoiseshell she-cat sat down and curled her tail around her paws. An idea struck Cinderbird.

"Please tell us! I-I'm expecting his kits. You can't expect them to grow up without a father," Cinderbird pleaded with the DarkClan leader.

Graystar looked at Briarsong once more, with emotions flashing in his gaze.

"My patrol took him to the mountains."

* * *

**Hi! :D I hope you like the story and I just wanted to take a minute to thank the reviewers! Really, the reviews that Grayshadow Warrior, Peaklog3727, Anonymous, WyldClaw, Guest, and Crystalshine of LightClan left really encouraged me and helped me write! Thank you for taking your time to review On Thin Ice and making me and my story better! Happy reading!**


	12. Chapter 11

_Two cats were talking in the cold breeze. _

_"__Listen, he's mine! I don't know what _she's _trying to play, but he's mine! Can you just try to set her up with someone else?"_

_"__Of course, of course, I get it. He's yours. Anyways, I can try," the other cat responded, with a smug glimmer in her eyes. She knew her place in the Clan. _

_"__Please do! You are one of the most influential cats here, and I don't even care what tom you set her up with."_

_"__Foxclaw! Foxclaw's been taken!" A stricken scream broke the conversation._

_"__I'll see that it's done," the second cat assured her friend, before walking off to assess the problem. _

_"__Thank you, Mistbriar. I appreciate it."_

_"__Anything for a friend."_

* * *

"The mountains?" Mistbriar gasped bleakly.

"Yes, we-we will hand him over to a group of cats, in exchange for- for… It was our only option!" Graystar meowed.

"Thank you for telling us," Mistbriar mewed diplomatically, with an edge to her tone, "I'm _so _glad we have to go to the _mountains _to find one of our Clanmates that shouldn't have been taken in the first place."

"Sorry," Graystar replied sarcastically, his temporary goodness disappearing.

"Come on," Mistbriar commanded her patrol, "We need to let Shadestar know."

* * *

On the walk home, Duskblossom confronted her sister.

"I can't believe you're expecting kits and didn't tell me!" Duskblossom cried.

"Yes, Cinderbird, why didn't you tell any cat?" Mistbriar wondered.

"Because I'm _not _expecting his kits. I knew that when Briarsong was looking at Graystar, he would give in," Cinderbird scoffed.

"You lied?" Duskblossom asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I don't like it, but now we know where Foxclaw is."

"You're not the only cat who can lie. What if Graystar lied about where Foxclaw is?" Berryoak pointed out.

"True enough," Rippleshade growled, "We should have searched the camp!"

"One less patrol of cats would weaken the Clan," Duskblossom agreed, "Maybe Shadestar should take it up at the next Gathering?"

"Well, can we wait that long if Graystar is telling the truth?" Cinderbird asked them.

"Knowing Graystar, he probably lied, but the way he looked at Briarsong was touching," Mistbriar meowed.

"Did any of you guys notice that the camp wasn't full of many cats?" Rippleshade meowed.

"I did," Cinderbird remembered.

"They could have sent out border or hunting patrols," Berryoak pointed out.

"I sent out ours before we left," Mistbriar reminded them, "But DarkClan isn't _that _big, so there couldn't have been that many cats left over from patrols."

"And they would need several cats to go to the mountains. I mean, IceClan hasn't ever sent out expedition patrols to the mountains. It's an uncharted territory," Duskblossom mewed.

"What about the _group of cats_ Graystar mentioned? That seems a bit scary," Mistbriar meowed, "What will they use Foxclaw for? Bait? Prey?"

"Stop!" Cinderbird shrieked, "That's terrible!"

The camp entrance loomed in front of them.

"Come on, we need to tell Shadestar," Mistbriar muttered.

When they entered the camp, Daypaw bounced up.

"Did you find him? Where is he?" she asked, peering behind the patrol in search for the red tom.

"We need to speak with Shadestar," Cinderbird told her.

"What happened? Where's Foxclaw?" Daypaw wailed.

"I'll tell you after we tell Shadestar, okay? He needs to be the first one to know," Cinderbird whispered to the apprentice.

"That's an understatemen-" Rippleshade meowed.

"Shut up!" Duskblossom interrupted him, pushing him with her shoulder playfully.

Mistbriar walked past them and into Shadestar's den.

"Shaadestar, we need to talk to you," she called.

"Come in," he replied.

"Cinderbird, Berryoak, and I will go in. There's not enough room for the whole patrol. Duskblossom and Rippleshade will wait out side," Mistbriar told them.

"Did you find him?" their leader greeted them.

"No, Shadestar. Graystar informed us that he had taken Foxclaw to the mountains," Mistbriar told him.

"The mountains?" Shadestar exclaimed.

"Yeah, the mountains," Mistbriar repeated, "What are we going to do?"

"We have to find Foxclaw!" Cinderbird desperately declared.

"We will, don't worry," Shadestar soothed her.

"Are we going to send out a search patrol?" Berryoak asked.

"Yes, yes of course. We will send one tomorrow, at first light," Shadestar reassured them, "Foxclaw is a valuable warrior. We cannot afford to lose him. Berryoak, Cinderbird, if you two would leave, Mistbriar and I can discuss who will go on the patrol.

Cinderbird shot a desperate look at her friend and Mistbriar nodded at her.

* * *

"…Mistbriar and I can discuss who will go on the patrol."

Mistbriar pricked her ears when her name was called. She hadn't really been listening after Shadestar did his heroic thing, with his speeches and all that, but having favor on who goes on this rescue patrol could suit the deputy nicely.

Mistbriar saw Cinderbird send the most _desperate_ look at her, so what could she do but nod? Shadestar waited before the two cats left the den to turn to her.

"Who do you think should go?" Shadestar asked her.

"Well, a senior warrior, of course, should lead the patrol. Who do we have? Berryoak, Bramblestorm, that's it. Mossysong is in the nursery, and Bramblestorm shouldn't go, his kits are fixing to be apprenticed, and you can't ask him to miss that," Mistbriar pointed out.

"You're right. I think Berryoak should go, he has experience, and he has proven himself to be a leader," Shadestar meowed.

"I think he should go, too. After all, he was one of the cats on the first patrol," Mistbriar suggested.

"Exactly," Shadestar declared, "Yes, Berryoak will lead the patrol and I think his apprentice should go; Gingerpaw is almost ready for his assessment, anyways. This could be his assessment. Who else should go?"

"Cinderbird has to go," she told him.

"Yes, she should. How many cats should go?" Shadestar wondered.

"Well, enough to fight another group of cats for Foxclaw."

"Yes, five, you think?"

"Yeah, that should be fine. Not ncluding the apprentice?" Mistbriar checked.

"Yes, not including the apprentice. We have Berryoak, Cinderbird, who else?"

"What about Duskblossom and Rippleshade?" Mistbriar suggested with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Okay, that's four cats," Shadestar muttered, "One more more to go."

"What about Cloudfish?" Shadestar recommended.

Thinking of her friend, Mistbriar hesitated, but couldn't give Shadestar a reason not to.

"Sure."

_Sorry, hon. _

Mistbriar followed Shadestar out of his den. He was fixing to announce the cats permitted to join the patrol.

"Let all cats old enough to swim gather here!" Shadestar yowled.

Warriors, apprentices, elders, and queens soon began pouring into the clearing before their leader, whom they could tell had news.

"As I'm sure you've heard, Foxclaw has been taken to the mountains, to a mysterious group of cats. Seven cats will be going to rescue him. Berryoak will lead the patrol. The patrol will leave at first light tomorrow," Shadestar told them.

The warriors leaned forward, eager to hear who was going.

"Cinderbird will accompany Berryoak on this journey, along with Cloudfish, Gingerpaw, Rippleshade, and Duskblossom!" Mistbriar announced.

Frecklelight, who was Berryoak's mate, rushed to him.

"Be safe," she told him, entwining their tails.

He purred and rubbed his muzzle along her cheek, saying, "I'll always come back to you."

Mistbriar gathered the named cats together. Gingerpaw looked positively excited, while his mentor looked concerned.

"What's our mission here?" Berryoak asked.

"Track down Foxclaw and do _whatever it takes_ to get him back," Mistbriar told them.

"We don't even know where these mountains are," Cloudfish pointed out.

"DarkClan does," Rippleshade muttered darkly.

Mistbriar pricked her ears, "DarkClan _does," _she repeated.

"Like they'd help us," Flickershine mewed.

"Maybe some rouges or loners know," Gingerpaw suggested hopefully.

"Cooper!" Mistbriar suddenly remembered.

"Cooper?" Cinderbird asked.

"Yes, he's an old friend of mine. If he's still alive. Trust me, he knows every cat. I bet he'd know how to get to the mountains, or some cat that does," the deputy guessed.

"Okay, where does this Cooper live?" Berryoak asked.

"With Estelle, in Twolegplace," Mistbriar told them.

"Twolegplace?" Gingerpaw asked.

"Yes, it's an hour's journey from here. Not too far. Just follow the river until you see a willow tree next to a holly bush, then go right towards Twolegplace. Their home is a blue den surrounded by lily flowers. You'll smell it before you see it. If some cat could go find them, we'd know how to get to the mountains," Mistbriar meowed.

"I'll go!" Rippleshade and Duskblossom offered at the same time, looking at each other awkwardly.

"You can both go," Mistbriar mewed, a smirk building up, "And leave now, as soon as you can."

"You hungry?" Rippleshade asked Duskblossom.

"No, are you?" she replied.

"Nope, let's go," he meowed eagerly.

The two cats left the camp in search for kittypets they didn't know. If they could find Cooper and Estelle, they would be able to find Foxclaw, and that would make Cinderbird happy. That was Duskblossom's mission, and going on a journey with _Rippleshade_ made no difference. No matter the silver tom's captivating looks.


	13. Chapter 12

Duskblossom and Rippleshade were following the river, as instructed. They were keeping up a fast speed, as neither cat wanted to be in Twolegplace in the dark.

"Do you see the willow tree?" Duskblossom asked when Rippleshade quickened his pace.

"No," he replied, his tone gaining frustration.

"Come on, we have to find this Cooper!" Duskblossom exclaimed, willing a willow tree and holly bush to appear.

"Is that it?" Rippleshade asked, his voice beaming with hope.

"Yes, yes I think it is!" she answered rushing up to the tree.

"It's a willow tree," he pointed out, "Next to a holly bush."

"I can see that, stupid furball," Duskblossom laughed.

"So we go left here?" Rippleshade checked.

"No, fish-brain, right!" The smoky gray she-cat corrected him, shaking her head.

"Just making sure you were listening!"

The two cats headed _right _towards Twolegplace.

"Okay, eyes and nose open," Duskblossom ordered, "We don't want to run into any Twolegs."

Rippleshade prowled towards a blue Twoleg den. "No, this isn't the one. I can't smell any flowers."

"How long do you think it's been since Mistbriar has been here?" Duskblossom wondered, "It could have changed since she's been here last."

"Okay, let's check it out."

Rippleshade jumped onto a wooden platform by the house, peering into a clear mesh.

"Any cat home?" he called.

A pretty tabby she-cat appeared. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Rippleshade, and I'm looking for a cat called Cooper. Do you know him?"

"Cooper? Oh, of course I know him," the tabby cat giggled, "I'm Roxy."

"Pleased to meet you, Roxy. Now, can you tell us where Cooper is?" Rippleshade asked her.

Instead of answering, Roxy disappeared and reappeared through a swaying hole in the wall. She gently padded towards Rippleshade, butting him in the shoulder.

"What do I get out of it?" Roxy murmured.

"The satisfaction of keeping your life," Duskblossom snapped, losing her patience.

Roxy snorted. "Is that supposed to be a threat? Anyways," she turned to Rippleshade, "Cooper used to live here. Then his housefolk moved over to the east side of the town. You can find him in a big, brown house next to a waterpark."

"What's a waterpark?" Rippleshade asked.

"A waterpark? Oh, it's a place where Housefolk and their kits go to play in water. There's slides and waterspouts. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it," Roxy assured him.

"Okay, thanks for your help," he purred.

"Wait," she called when they started to walk off, "What do I get out of this?"

"Nothing," Rippleshade meowed in a carefree tone.

"What?" Roxy's yowl laced the air as the IceClan cats hurriedly rushed off.

* * *

"Big?" Duskblossom asked.

"Check." Rippleshade confirmed.

"Brown?"

"Check."

"Next to a waterpark?"

"Check. Duskblossom, I think we have the right place," Rippleshade sighed.

"Okay, okay. Just checking. Anyways, do you think he's actually here?" she asked suspiciously.

"There's only one way to find out," he replied, heading for the ice wall.

Watching him tap on it, Duskblossom held her breath as they waited for a cat to appear. Heartbeats passed.

"Hello?" Rippleshade called, tapping again.

"What do you want?" A lazy voice answered.

"Are you Cooper?" Duskblossom asked.

"Depends on who's asking," a black-and-white tom answered, jumping up to meet them.

"Uh, we are," Duskblossom mewed.

"You might know Mistbriar?" Rippleshade asked, trying to jog his memory.

"Mistbriar, Mistbriar," the kittypet tried to think.

"She's from IceClan, gray, blue eyes," Duskblossom offered.

"Wait, that sounds like Mistpaw! Yeah, I know Mistpaw," Cooper told them.

Rippleshade let out a _mrrow _of laughter, probably trying to imagine the deputy as an exploring apprentice.

"Well, she needs your help," Duskblossom meowed.

"Oh, anything for that lovely she-cat."

"Do you know how to get to the mountains?" Rippleshade asked.

The black-and-white cat's cheerful attitude disappeared. "The mountains?" he gulped.

"Yes, we need to get there to rescue a friend!"

"Careful, the mountains are… dangerous. The cats that live there are… dangerous. Everything about the place is terrifying," Cooper warned.

"We were told that are friend is being taken to a group of cats," Rippleshade muttered.

"There are two main groups of cats in the region I know about," Cooper explained, "The Tribe and the Graces. Trust me, you don't want to mess with either one. I lost Estelle to the Graces."

Duskblossom let out a murmur of sorrow.

"The Graces live closer to the bottom of the mountain, in a hidden cave. They won't let any cat find it. The Tribe lives in a cave, as well. The path to the cave is a treacherous path, outsiders rarely can get past it. I don't know which group has your friend, but I wish you luck," Cooper finished.

"Thank you for your insight," Rippleshade mewed.

"How do we get there?" Duskblossom asked.

"Well, from here, you follow the sun until you see another Twolegplace, bigger than this one, and then head towards it. The mountains should be a day's journey beyond that, with the sun facing your back," Cooper told them.

"Okay, thank you so much for your help! We really appreciate it, and I know Mistbriar does!" Duskblossom thanked him gratefully.

"No problem!" Cooper blushed at the thought of Mistbriar.

"Come on, we need to get home," Duskblossom cringed at the thought of how much time they spent at Twolegplace. The trek was long, and they had a journey tomorrow. It was already sundown, Duskblossom doubted they would get there before dark.

Rippleshade thanked the kittypet and the two cats headed home.

"We know how to get home right?"

* * *

The camp was pitch black when they arrived in IceClan territory. The only exception was Rosefall's white pelt guarding the camp. Approaching the entrance, Rippleshade let out a mew to let her know their arrival.

"Oh, you're back," she exclaimed quietly, careful not to wake the camp.

Rosefall trotted towards him and rubbed his cheek with her muzzle. Duskblossom was left feeling alone and ashamed of herself that she ever thought Rippleshade felt something for her.

"We better go tell Mistbriar," Duskblossom reminded him.

"Yes, of course," he responded, pulling away from Rosefall.

Duskblossom peered into the den in search of the deputy.

"Mistbriar!" she hissed.

The gray she-cat lifted her head from her slumber. "Did you find Cooper?" she asked.

"Yes, he told us where the mountains are," Rippleshade replied.

"Good," Mistbriar sighed, "Now get some rest."

Acknowledging her deputy's orders, Duskblossom curled up in her nest and quickly fell asleep after her long and tiring journey.


	14. Chapter 13

"Rise and shine," a voice whispered in Cinderbird's ear.

Cinderbird blinked blearily and looked up to see her sister awaiting eagerly for her awakening.

"Come on, we have a journey to go on!" Duskblossom mewed.

Cinderbird jumped out of her nest and raced into the clearing. This was the journey where they _would _find Foxclaw!

Mistbriar drowsily came to her paws to greet them. Gingerpaw was already waiting for the rest of the patrol.

"Are you ready?" Mistbriar yawned.

"Yes!" Duskblossom bounced excitedly.

"You two can go to Goosesight and retrieve traveling herbs," Mistbriar suggested.

"Okay."

"I'm so excited to go to the mountains," Duskblossom confessed to her sister.

"I know, I can tell. I can't believe you're not tired from your trip yesterday!"

Duskblossom almost stiffened. "Well, it was an easy trip," she stammered.

Cinderbird tipped her head. Was she okay?

"Come on, those herbs are waiting for us," Duskblossom murmured.

She was right about the herbs, but Goosesight, on the other paw, was not. The gray medicine cat was dozing a paw-length away from his nest. He looked as if he had almost made it to his nest, but sleep caught up to him.

"Goosesight," Cinderbird called, shaking him gently with her paw.

As soon as she touched him, he sprang to his paws. A crazed look was in his eyes.

"Something dark," he muttered, "Something dark is coming… The mountains, oh, the mountains are a dangerous place. Very dangerous. You will regret falling in love."

Cinderbird and Duskblossom glanced at each other in panic. Who was he talking about? Who will regret falling in love?

"Goosesight? Are you okay?" Duskblossom asked nervously.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" he responded, acting normally as if nothing had happened.

"Er, um, the traveling herbs?" Cinderbird stuttered, trying to pretend she hadn't seen anything.

"Oh, yes. Right this way." He retreated to the back of his den.

He handed the neatly made packets to them. Cinderbird couldn't tell if she was imagining the nervous look in his eyes.

"Th-thank you," Duskblossom tossed over her shoulder as they both hurried out of the den.

"Was that weird or what?" Cinderbird whispered to her sister once they are out of earshot.

"Yeah," Duskblossom shuddered. "Are we going to tell Mistbriar or Berryoak?"

"No, can't you see? We can't. They'll call off the mission!" Cinderbird hissed.

"I thought you didn't know if you loved Foxclaw or not," Duskblossom stated in confusion.

"Love him or not, he's still a Clanmate and this could be our only chance to see what's out there," Cinderbird explained.

"Okay, okay. Fair enough," Duskblossom backed off.

"Thank you," Cinderbird blinked at her sister.

"Mistbriar! We have the herbs!" Duskblossom yowled.

"Okay," the deputy mewed, wincing at the loudness of Duskblossom's voice. It was obvious Mistbriar wanted to go back to sleep.

"Duskblossom, you go get Rippleshade, I think he's still sleeping. Cinderbird, get Berryoak and tell him to hurry up and say good-bye to Frecklelight. Gingerpaw," the apprentice scampered over, "Will go get Cloudfish," Mistbriar ordered, fighting back a yawn.

Cinderbird searched for Berryoak, first looking in the warrior's den and not finding him there, searched the nursery. She found him curled around Frecklelight and their kits.

"Berryoak?" Cinderbird whispered softly, "It's time to go."

She saw the misery in Berryoak's eyes as he gingerly pulled away from Frecklelight. Tears welled up in Frecklelight's eyes as she knew that there was a chance he might not come back.

"Goodbye, my love," she murmured.

"Goodbye, darling," he whispered, entwining their tails.

"Kits, say goodbye to your father," she mewed as she stared into Berryoak's eyes.

Fernkit, Beechkit, and Kestrelkit all bounced up and each touched their father's nose.

"Goodbye," they chorused.

"Goodbye," he replied, licking each of them on their cheek.

Berryoak's eyes hardened as he turned to Cinderbird.

"Let's go," he meowed roughly.

Shadestar and Needledawn were sitting neatly when Cinderbird returned with Berryoak. Cinderbird rushed to say goodbye to her friend.

"Goodbye," Cinderbird told Needledawn.

"'Bye," Needledawn mewed.

The silver she-cat was looking more pregnant with each passing day. Cinderbird hoped that her kits would wait to be born until the rescue patrol had returned.

"It's time you were off," Shadestar pointed out.

The six chosen cats had said their goodbyes and were ready to depart on their mission. Cinderbird and Berryoak licked up their herbs and she could feel the energy pulsing inside of her. Gingerpaw was bouncing excitedly on his paws, obviously ready to be off.

"Let's go," Berryoak meowed numbly, looking back once more at Frecklelight.

The patrol padded out of camp and the mission had finally begun.

* * *

Leaving IceClan territory was a chilling feeling, Duskblossom realized. She longed to ask Rippleshade about his relationship with Rosefall, but she didn't want to come off as desperate and it wasn't any of her business.

"Which way do we go?" Berryoak consulted Rippleshade.

"First, we need to head towards Twolegplace, that's what Cooper told us. Then, we follow the sun for a while, find another Twolegplace, head towards it, and hopefully find the mountains," Rippleshade directed.

Berryoak nodded and Rippleshade slowed down to walk with the others. Duskblossom found him matching her stride. She wanted to talk with him like she did on their journey, but the knowledge of Rosefall was too much.

"Should we tell them about the Tribe and the Graces?" Rippleshade breathed, mentioning the two dangerous groups.

"Sometime we will have to," Duskblossom pointed out.

"How about we tell them when we make camp tonight?" he suggested.

"That's fine," she replied.

When he kept her pace still, Duskblossom realized she couldn't take it. She couldn't stand being with him, but not being _with _him. He had led her astray and she couldn't find the path back. Duskblossom fell back to walk with Cinderbird.

"I didn't know you liked Rippleshade," Cinderbird whispered.

"What? No, no, Rippleshade was just checking to make sure he had the right directions," Duskblossom blustered.

"Right, so that's why you're looking at him like you lost the fattest trout in the river," Cinderbird mewed at her in disbelief.

"Look, I… We're… not together," Duskblossom sighed. "And he likes Rosefall. It's pointless."

Cinderbird pressed their pelts together in sympathy. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Enough about me," Duskblossom changed the subject, "How are you going to be when we find Foxclaw?"

"I.. don't know. I think the thing I'm worried about," Cinderbird explained, "is I don't want to be tied down. I mean, taking a mate, that's serious. I can't flirt with any toms, you know. I can't be… me. I won't even know how to live my life, you know?"

"I understand. You don't want to change. If he _is _the right tom, you'll change for him. If he's not, well, you can go back to being you," Duskblossom reassured her.

"Yeah, I just don't want to let him down. I _do _care for him," Cinderbird exhaled.

Duskblossom remembered some of the landmarks they were passing from the last voyage. Twolegplace was almost here, but StarClan knows how fast they can travel through it.

"Are we almost to Twolegplace?" Gingerpaw asked, scampering up to her.

"Yeah, I think we should get out of Twolegplace by nightfall," Duskblossom encouraged him.

"Okay," he mewed and trotted up to be with his mentor.

Berryoak looked miserable, Duskblossom could tell he didn't want to be on the rescue patrol.

"We're in Twolegplace," Berryoak announced, "Keep your eyes and ears open. This is unfamiliar territory."

Twolegplace looked different in the daytime. Last time they were here, they were battling against the sun, who was slowly leading them into darkness.

"Will we see Cooper?" Gingerpaw asked.

"I'm not sure. He could be sunbathing right now," Rippleshade offered.

Rippleshade had a look of panic when he turned to Duskblossom.

"What if we run into Roxy?" he asked.

That was a genuine question. Roxy was quite mad that she hadn't received anything as payment for her help.

"She's just one cat against seven," Duskblossom pointed out.

"Still, she might have some kittypet friends. We can't afford injury," he replied.

"Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it," she sighed.

He nodded. "Okay."

"You think we'll be out of this wretched place by nightfall?" she wondered.

"Surely. Who would want to stay the night here?"

"I wonder if Cooper could show us the fastest way out," she pondered.

"Do we want to find him?" Rippleshade asked.

"Is it worth it?"

"Yes, I think it is. I'll inform Berryoak."

Duskblossom watched him bound up to the cream tom and tell him. Berryoak was nodding, he knew the cats couldn't afford spending the night in Twolegplace.

"It's a yes," Rippleshade meowed, trotting back to Duskblossom.

"Are we all going?" Duskblossom asked, inwardly wincing at her desperation.

"He said that Cooper might be put off with so many cats, but to take Cloudfish for backup," he replied.

"How are we going to find each other after?" She felt like a kit straight out of the nursery, asking so many questions.

"Well, they'll just stay right here and we'll come looking," he answered, not afraid of the chance of getting lost in Twolegplace.

"Okay," she responded. If he wasn't afraid, neither was she.

The white tom was waiting for instructions, and Duskblossom felt uneasy being with two toms that she liked.

"Okay, Cloudfish," Duskblossom explained, "We're going to find Cooper. He's a black-and-white tom and he lives in a big, brown house. He's hopefully going to help us through Twolegplace."

Cloudfish nodded.

* * *

Needledawn flinched. She could feel the kits moving inside of her. She glanced at Shadestar, who was sleeping soundly. A walk was the best thing, she thought.

Hopping out of their nest, she headed out of the beautifully woven den and into the clearing. She was surprised to see a group of apprentices speaking nervously amongst themselves.

"What's wrong?" Needledawn asked, searching their faces.

Mothpaw looked at her in anguish. "Daypaw is missing."

* * *

Cinderbird shifted on her paws. Were they just supposed to wait and do nothing while Rippleshade, Duskblossom, and Gingerpaw found the cat that would make or break the mission? Gingerpaw had the same mindset, as he was pacing, looking nervous.

"I wish we could do something," she muttered to him, knowing that would start conversation.

"Yeah, me too. I just want to help," he sighed.

A rustling noise caught Cinderbird's attention. "Did you hear that?" she asked Gingerpaw.

Gingerpaw pricked his ears. "I can't hear anything."

"No, there's something there," she insisted, bounding towards a still shaking bush.

She pushed gingerly past the branches and was amazed to see a familiar gray pelt, staring up at her guiltily.

"Daypaw! What are you doing here?" Cinderbird hissed.

* * *

Daypaw froze as her tail brushed one of the branches in her hiding spot. It was a ripple effect, that branch crashed into the other supporting branches.

_I'm caught, _she thought to herself.

Anyways, she _deserved _to be on this patrol! It was _her _mentor that had been taken and it was _she _who had been with him when he was taken. She very much deserved this. She was surprised that no cat could see her dismay radiating off of her when the chosen cats had been called.

A flash of gray caught her eye and she saw Cinderbird lean forward and peer into her hiding space.

_Frog dung!_

"Daypaw! What are you doing here?" Cinderbird meowed in surprise.

"I followed you," Daypaw admitted.

"I can see that," Cinderbird scoffed, "But why in StarClan are you here?"

"I need to find Foxclaw! He's my mentor, for StarClan's sake! I would be lost without him," Daypaw cried.

"You love him, don't you?" Cinderbird gasped.

"He's my mentor," Daypaw replied, her eyes twinkling nervously.

"Well, you're here now, there's no use taking you back, that would delay us. I'll take you to Berryoak and see what he thinks. But don't think you won't be punished when we get home," Cinderbird warned.

Daypaw bounced excitedly. She could stay! She looked around curiously as Cinderbird led her to the cream tom. She had never seen Twolegs before; they were funny creatures, walking on two legs and had different color skin. Daypaw made out Berryoak's hidden silhouette in the dark shadows made by a huge oak tree by a Thunderpath.

"Daypaw? Is that you?" Berryoak asked.

"Yes," she replied meekly.

"What are you doing here?" he inquired.

"I _have _to find Foxclaw! I should be on this patrol, and I needed to make sure that you found him. I would die of wondering and wondering if you found him if I had stayed," Daypaw wailed.

"And you knew that we couldn't afford to take you back," Berryoak guessed.

"Well, yes."

"You might as well stay," Berryoak conceded.

"Yes!" Daypaw cheered.

Walking away triumphantly, searching for Gingerpaw. He was always easy to talk to, and they were fellow apprentices. It would be nice to have a conversation with him without Willowpaw breathing down her neck.

"Sneaky little minx," Gingerpaw greeted her, smiling.

Daypaw let out a _mrrow _of laughter, "I did what I had to do."

The red tom purred. "I'm glad you're here," he admitted.

Daypaw looked at him. "Really?"

"Of course," he murmured.

"It's nice without Willowpaw here," he added, glancing at a chirping bird flying into a Twoleg nest.

"Yeah. I'm glad Mistbriar didn't go, or else she would have tagged Willowpaw along."

"Why do you she-cats let Willowpaw be… like she is?" Gingerpaw asked, his voice tanged with confusion.

"Really, it's just Mothpaw and I who despite her. Speckpaw and Rosepaw are divas, too, just Willowpaw is the leader," Daypaw explained.

"Aren't Mothpaw and Speckpaw littermates?" Gingerpaw checked.

"Right, but they despise each other. Maybe they'll become closer when we all become warriors," Daypaw hoped.

"I heard Berryoak talk about how this is my assessment," Gingerpaw confessed.

"That's so exciting!" Daypaw stared at her denmate in shock.

"Yeah, it is, but I feel bad for Hailpaw. We started training at the same time, so we should have our assessment at the same time," Gingerpaw sighed.

"Maybe Hailpaw'll get his assessment when we're away," she suggested.

"They're back!"

"Come, on," Gingerpaw yowled.

The two apprentices scampered to meet the new cat. Daypaw sniffed him. His scent was strange; musty, but spoiled with the smell of Twolegs.

"Daypaw?" Rippleshade asked in shock, "What are you doing here?"

"Long story," Cinderbird butted in as Daypaw was opening her jaws to speak.

Daypaw glared at the gray warrior.

"Everyone, this is Cooper," Duskblossom announced.

The traveling cats crowded around the black-and-white tom. He just stood there, soaking up the attention.

"As I understand, you need my help," he meowed.

"Yes, can you take us through Twolegplace?" Berryoak asked formally.

"Do you not remember my instructions from last time?" Cooper asked Duskblossom and Rippleshade.

"Yes, we do, but considering all of this, we can't afford the lost time we might spend wandering around Twolegplace. You're our only hope," Rippleshade explained.

"I see," he replied, "In that case, this way."

* * *

Cinderbird never realized that Twolegs were so complicated. Everything that Cooper pointed out, she had never thought of to do. For example, sending Cooper mentioned a Twoleg kits' learning place where one Twoleg would teach many younglings. That was an idea that would save warriors for hunting or battle patrols. Mistbriar wouldn't agree with anything Twoleg-based, though.

"This is fascinating," she whispered to Duskblossom.

The smoky gray she-cat just snorted.

"If you look to the left, that is a place specifically reserved for house- I mean, Twoleg's who want to swim," Cooper announced, looking pleased with himself that he had taken on the role.

Swimming! That means that there must be water! A rush of homesickness swept over Cinderbird. She could see the same longing in the other warrior's eyes.

"Do we know when we'll be out of this place?" Berryoak asked, looking slightly annoyed.

"Soon, soon," came the vague answer.

Peering ahead, Cinderbird excitedly realized that the pods of Twoleg dens were lessening. That must mean that they _were_ almost out!

"Well, fellow cats, I have to go back to my home. I've already been gone for too long. I trust you'll be able to find your way out from here?" Cooper meowed.

"Yes, thank you so much for your help. We couldn't have done it without you," Berryoak thanked him.

"Why did you help us?" Cinderbird asked.

"Many moons ago, Mistpa-briar saved my life. I'm in debt to her," Cooper simply replied.

"Thank you," Cinderbird whispered.

"Come on, cats," Berryoak ordered, "Time to get out of this StarClan forsaken place."

Cooper watched as the cats moved on, then turned.

"Hello, Cooper," a voice snarled from the shadows.

The black-and-white tom spun around.

"Hey, Axel," Cooper whimpered nervously.

"You know that Roxy is out for them, right?"

"Oh, she is? Darn, must have forgot," Cooper blustered.

"She is. She wants their hides. And you know what happens to cats who cross Roxy, or at least you _will._"


	15. Chapter 14

"Do you have him?" A voice called.

"Yes, Violet, we have him," a shaky voice replied.

"Let me see him," Violet responded.

Purring slightly, she looked him up and down.

"You do know the Tribe wants him too?" A black tom asked.

"Of course, sweetie. That's what makes him all the better," the pretty she-cat giggled.

"And our payment?" Another bold voice asked.

"Payment?" Violet laughed, "Oh, darling, just be happy you got _into _the mountains alive. We'll give you our trust that you won't be harmed by _us_."

"That's not payment," the second cat bristled.

"You could stay here… with us," One of Violet's companions, a yellow she-cat, spoke up.

"It's a trick," the second cat whispered to the black tom, who was weakening. Their pretty faces were tempting.

"We will be leaving now," the black tom announced, waiting for the two cats to defy him.

"Come on, Sunny," Violet mewed, "Thalia will be pleased."

* * *

Cinderbird woke up to sunlight forcing her eyes open. They had camped the night in a grassy hollow. Luckily, a small stream had snaked its way into the clearing, providing scaly food for the IceClan warriors.

"I took your shift," Cloudfish greeted her, bounding towards her.

"Oh, thank you, you didn't have to do that," Cinderbird mewed.

"I don't mind," Cloudfish insisted, leaning forward to brush her muzzle.

Guilt ran through her and the pretty gray she-cat took a step back. Cloudfish opened his eyes when he felt the air move.

"What?" he asked, "I thought you liked the attention."

"I… I do," she responded, searching for an excuse, "But, I can't do that to Silverrose. She's my friend."

"Silverrose?" Cloudfish asked, confused.

"She… likes you?" Cinderbird scoffed.

The white, ignorant tom looked surprised. "Really? She does?"

Cinderbird rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "Toms."

Padding to her sister, she was surprised to see her talking quietly with Rippleshade.

"When are we going to tell them?" Duskblossom was murmuring under her breath.

"They'll find out soon enough. Is it really that important?" Rippleshade breathed.

"You said we were going to tell them last night," Duskblossom remembered.

"It's okay. We're not in the mountains yet, there's still time," he reassured her.

The smoky gray she-cat let out a huff, which made her whiskers flutter, and took a step to walk with Cinderbird.

"Are you okay?" Cinderbird asked, glancing with concern at her sister.

"I'm fine," Duskblossom muttered.

"I'm your sister. You can tell me anything," Cinderbird offered.

"I know," Duskblossom sighed, "It's just best if you hear it along with every cat."

"Okay," Cinderbird gave up.

The territory that they were treading in was so much like StormClan's. Cinderbird was not comfortable here. Everywhere she looked, there was bushes and brambles. No reeds or willows like she was used to. Cries of birds startled her, and she was acutely aware that the other cats felt the same. Bristling fur, pricked ears, the signs were clear. They weren't wanted here. They needed to get to the mountains, find Foxclaw, and get out.

"Berryoak!" she called, rushing up to him.

"Yeah?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on the trail.

"Do you know how many more days until we get to the mountains?" Cinderbird inquired.

"There's no telling," he muttered, "Three, maybe four."

"Why do you think they wanted Foxclaw?" Cinderbird asked, trying to voice her fears out loud.

"I don't know! I'm not a medicine cat, I can't speak to StarClan!" Berryoak snapped.

She huffed and walked back to Duskblossom.

"I just want to get this over with," she groaned.

"Poor thing," Duskblossom mewed sarcastically, "Most cats would eat their own paw for a chance to go to the mountains."

* * *

"Wow," Duskblossom breathed.

The mountains… She'd never seen anything like this before. All her cares, her worries, her troubles suddenly seemed so small facing this vastness. She didn't know how to describe it. The peaks reached the clouds, reachable by only the ice and snow that settled on it. Yet, it was only rock. The same thing that pebbles were made out of.

Her Clanmates, she could tell, felt the same way. They had awe and wonder in their eyes and the two apprentices were almost in shock.

"This is amazing!" Daypaw exclaimed.

No cat bothered to shush her, even though they were in unfamiliar territory with enemies on their paws. They all felt the same way.

"Now where?" Cinderbird broke the silence.

Duskblossom and Rippleshade glanced at each other.

"You see, there are two groups in the mountains," Rippleshade finally began.

"Are you serious? Two groups?" Berryoak growled.

"Yes," Duskblossom continued for him, "There are the Tribe and the Graces. Both groups are dangerous," she warned.

"The Graces sound nicer," Daypaw mewed in a small voice.

"I agree. Let's find the Graces," Cinderbird meowed.

Daypaw looked shocked to find that the gray she-cat was agreeing with her.

"The Graces live in the bottom of the mountain, in a cave in the valley—"

Complaints broke into Rippleshade's statement.

"There's no way I'm going down there! We just got up the mountain!" Gingerpaw exclaimed.

"The Tribe lives in a _hidden _cave with a winding path leading to their camp. Take your pick."

The cats, other than Rippleshade and Duskblossom, all glanced at each other in uncertainty.

"We could wander around and try to find a patrol of some sort," Daypaw offered.

"I like that plan," Gingerpaw quickly backed her up.

"It's worth a shot," Berryoak shrugged, "But we need a scout to go ahead."

"I'll go," Cloudfish offered. He bounded ahead, and was soon greeted with a yowl.

Duskblossom peered ahead and saw cats, mostly of the same colors, white, gray, and black.

"What are you doing here?" the first cat growled.

Duskblossom noticed that this cat was thin and lithe, they could easily defeat it. She was soon proved wrong when the biggest cat she had ever seen, a gray tabby tom, backed the first cat up.

Soon she saw a patrol of cats, mostly small ones, with one or two big cats.

"Who are you?" Cloudfish asked.

"We are the Tribe of Falling Snow. And you are in our territory," the gray tabby tom snarled.

Berryoak stepped forward. His eyes glimmered with regret that he was the leader of the patrol. Duskblossom was glad she just had to step back and let him handle it.

"We are warriors, from IceClan," the cream tom dipped his head.

The big tom extended a paw forward. "I am Eagle Flying Down Mountain. You can call me Eagle. I am the leader of the Cave-guards."

The first cat bounded forward, extending a white paw, although he had a black pelt. "I am Splash of Leaping Fish," he meowed.

"My name is Berryoak," he meowed.

"We will take you back to our cave," Eagle decided.

"What if we don't want to go to your cave?" Berryoak challenged, although Duskblossom knew that the cats wanted to go.

"Then you will wander around the mountains in the dark, starve or be picked off by eagles," Splash snapped.

"Very well," Berryoak gave in, and the Tribe surrounded the patrol.

Duskblossom noticed, and she hated that she noticed, that a pretty she-cat was flirting with Rippleshade. Aiming her ears backward, she tried to pick up the conversation.

"What's your name?" The silver she-cat gushed.

"Rippleshade," he meowed. His deep voice seemed to echo off the mountains.

"I'm Bubbles Covering Stream," she giggled, "But _you_ can call me Stream."

Duskblossom shuddered. She couldn't stand listening to that _she-cat _go on and on about Rippleshade.

"I know the mountains are cold, but you'll get used to it," meowed an unfamiliar tom, noticing her shiver.

"Oh, I was just thinking of… home," Duskblossom replied.

"I couldn't leave this place," he told her, looking around at the majestic mountain, "I think you're brave that you did."

"I'm Thunder," he continued, "Or, formally, Thunder that Follows Lightening."

She had to admit that he was handsome. Most of the cats were colors of the mountain, but his fur was tabby striped brown.

"I"m Duskblossom," she purred.

"That's a pretty name," he murmured.

"Thank you, I've always thought it never suited me," she mewed.

"What do you mean? I think it suits you perfectly," he responded loyally.

"Well, dusk time is usually black. I mean, it's right before night. I'm just gray," she explained.

"I think it suits you perfectly," Thunder repeated, blinking at her warmly.

* * *

**The Tribe of Falling Snow **

**Tribe-Healer:** Teller of Echoing Stones (Stoneteller)— white tom with gray paws.

**Cave-guards: **(Toms and she-cats who guard the cave)

Eagle Flying down Mountain (Eagle)— gray tabby tom

Branch Whipped by Wind (Branch)— white she-cat

Peak Covered by Snow (Peak)— black tom with white belly

Bubbles Covering Stream (Stream)— pretty silver she-cat with blue eyes.

Tree Shaken by Wind (Tree)— big gray tom

Storm Pouring Hail (Hail)— big, dark brown tom

Pool that is Overflowing (Pool)— black she-cat

Tree with Root Sticking Out (Root)— white tom with black paws and belly

Oak Standing In Midst of Storm (Oak)— black-and-white tom with no tail and green eyes

Thunder that Follows Lightning (Thunder)— brown tabby tom with blue eyes

**Prey-hunters **(Toms and she-cats responsible for hunting prey)

Lily Blossoming In Spite of Snow (Lily)— lithe, gray she-cat with green eyes

Wind Chased by Smoke (Smoke)— gray-black she-cat with amber eyes

Pine that Touches Sky (Pine)— brown she-cat

Frost that Rests on Fern (Fern)— gray she-cat with white ears

Drop that Tumbles from Leaf (Drop)— white she-cat

Sun that Shines Through Clouds (Sun)— orange she-cat with white tail

Splash of Leaping Fish (Splash)— black tom with white ears and feet

Reed that Sways Near River (Reed)— gray tom with amber eyes

**To-bes **

Snow that Gathers in Clouds (Snow)— beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes

Moon that Shines through Night (Moon)— black she-cat with dazzling green eyes

Shadow that Engulfs Mountain (Shadow)— black tom with amber eyes

Storm Clouds in Night Sky (Storm)— gray and white tom

**Kit-Mothers **

Cloud Hiding Twinkling Star (Star)— pretty white she-cat with gray ears, pregnant with Stoneteller's kits

Frost that Glimmers in Winter (Frost)— dark gray she-cat with blue eyes, mother of Reed's kits, Mint that grows in Shade (Mint)— gray she-kit, and Fish that Swim in Pond (Pond)— black tom

**Elders**

Leaf that Lands in Puddle (Leaf)— brown she-cat

Shadow that Falls over Crag (Crag)— black tom


	16. Chapter 15

**Grayshadow Warrior- Haha, I actually based the she-cats off of the sirens in Greek Mythology. I love how we think the same =^.^= **

* * *

_A white tom was gazing into a pool of clear water. The night sky reflected in it and the stars and moon gathered together in the pool. He stiffened. The moon… it was red? _

Red as blood, _he thought. _

_What could this mean? A red moon. Suddenly, he thought of the dangers his Tribe was facing. The Graces were a main competitor for food, and right now, they were overpowering the Tribe. _

Yes, that must be it, _he thought. _

_Bounding quickly out of his den, he stood face to face with another white cat. This cat was very familiar to him, and to top that, she was expecting his kits. Another law he had broken. She glared at him. _

_"__Haven't seen you in a while," she snarled mockingly. _

_"__Look, Star, I'm sorry," he tossed over his shoulder as he ran to a ledge in the cave. What he had done to her would never be forgiven. _

_"__Cats of the Tribe Where Snow Falls," he summoned, "The Tribe of Endless Hunting has sent a sign!" _

_"__A sign?" A kit-mother gasped. _

_"__Yes, Frost, a sign. A red cat will save us!" Stoneteller declared. _

_The cats buzzed with hope. He saw two to-bes whispering together, eyes alight. With shining eyes, the Tribe looked at him as a healer, not a troublemaking cat like they'd looked at him before. _

_"__The Tribe _will _survive," he declared. _

* * *

Daypaw licked a gray paw and rubbed it on her face. This was the most rest they had since they had started the journey, or since she had followed them there. She had to admit, they would have never found the Tribe's home on their own.

Daypaw and Gingerpaw had been escorted to the "to-be" part of the cave.

"What are to-bes?" Gingerpaw had whispered to her.

Daypaw had shrugged. Now she knew. There were four "to-bes", she still thought that word was strange, and all of them were nice, but distant. The two she-cats hadn't been stuck-up, unlike one cat Daypaw knew, and the toms were…toms.

"Daypaw, tell us about your Tribe," a white to-be asked. Daypaw remembered her name was Snow.

"Well," she started, "We don't have Tribes, we have Clans. There are four Clans, IceClan, StormClan, GustClan, and DarkClan."

The to-bes, who had pricked their ears to listen, were glancing at one another in confusion.

"Which Tri- Clan are you in?" A black she-cat asked politely.

"Gingerpaw and I are in IceClan," Daypaw explained.

"And who is your Healer?" A tom inquired.

Daypaw stared at him blankly. "Healer?"

"You know, who's in charge of your Clan?" The tom looked at her like she was a kit.

"Oh, Shadestar is. We have a leader, him, a deputy, her name is Mistbriar, and a medicine cat, his name is Goosesight," Daypaw understood.

"That's strange," he said flatly.

"Shadow!" Snow scolded him.

"It is," the black she-cat defended Shadow.

"Moon!" Snow looked overwhelmed at her denmates.

"It's fine," Gingerpaw put in. "I'm sure we would think your ways are strange."

The Tribe cats looked at each other, not sure if they should be offered or not.

"Well, in the Tribe, we have one Healer, named Stoneteller," a new To-be spoke up, "Stoneteller, who is _supposed _to be wise, has managed to break all of the rules required to be a Healer."

"Oh my gosh, Storm," Snow rebuked him, "You know we're not supposed to talk about that."

The gray-and-white tom ignored her. "He goes out into the main cave for no reason, he's had kits with multiple queens, he's probably had kits with one of the Graces, and he just ignores all of the rules!"

Daypaw was taken aback at Storm's fury.

Snow leaned over to the two Clan cats, whispering, "The reason he's so upset is because Stoneteller is our father. Our mother died while she was giving birth to us and he left the other queens, with no support, to raise us, and Storm has never forgiven him."

"I'm sorry," Daypaw sympathized. She knew what it was like to grow up in a separated family.

Snow shook her pelt. "It's fine. We're used to it."

"Stoneteller already has a new queen expecting his kits," Storm snarled, "And I've heard she's mad at him, for who knows what."

"Moon and Shadow's mother suckled us," Snow added to the Clan cats, "And ever since then, Pool, their mother, has been our mother."

"At least you had her," Daypaw mewed.

* * *

"This is strange," Duskblossom murmured to Rippleshade, glancing around.

This cave, this camp they lived in was unnatural, even though it was made out of rock. At the sound of movement, she turned, and was surprised to see what seemed like a patrol limping into the camp.

"Lily! Smoke! What happened?" A black-and-white tom asked, rushing to the two lead cats.

"The Graces," a gray-black she-cat growled, Duskblossom assumed she was Smoke.

"They took half our prey!" A lithe she-cat added.

_She must be Lily. _

Duskblossom noticed that Rippleshade couldn't keep his eyes of of Lily.

"Close your mouth, before your prey falls out," she whispered to the silver tom, nudging him with a look of amusement in her eyes.

He glanced at her, reflecting the same amusement. She didn't know why, but being in the mountains gave her a feeling of happiness, happiness that could not be shaken.

Stoneteller emerged out of a small tunnel in the back of the cave.

"What happened?" The white tom asked, eyes filled with alarm.

"The Graces took our prey!" Another member of the hunting patrol snarled.

"Peak, I understand your frustration," Stoneteller told him, before turning to the cats, "The Graces have stolen from us too many times."

The Tribe turned to each other. Duskblossom had the feeling that he wasn't talking about just prey.

"We need to retaliate!" The Healer announced.

The cats tittered among themselves, before looking back to their Healer in agreement.

"We have enough cave-guards!" Eagle agreed.

"And you have us," Berryoak put in.

Stoneteller glanced at the cream tom. "Are you sure?"

Berryoak scoffed, "Of course we're sure. The Graces won't know what hit them."

"Very well," Stoneteller dipped his head, "The cave-guards and the Clan cats will leave tomorrow night. Eagle will lead the patrol."

The Healer nodded to the cats, casting a sorrowful glance at a pregnant white she-cat, and retired to his den. Eagle bounded forward to face the cats.

"All of the cave-guards will go, except for Root and Stream. The cave-guard to-bes will go, and a warrior and apprentice from the Clans will stay. Except for them, all of the Clan cats will go," Eagle announced, not looking happy that the Clan cats were to assist them in their fight against the Graces. "We will take this to the Graces' camp."

"I'll stay," Rippleshade muttered to the Clan cats.

Berryoak nodded, "And Daypaw, she's the youngest."

Daypaw looked outraged that she had to be kept from a battle, but had the sense to keep her mouth shut.

"Daypaw, I swear, if you sneak out again," Cinderbird threatened, "I'll find a… squirrel to eat your paws!"

Daypaw rolled her eyes at the "terrifying" threat. "I'll eat the squirrel first," she meowed, not impressed.

"Then the decomposed squirrel will eat you from the inside," Cinderbird gasped, then started laughing.

The laughter was contagious. Daypaw quickly began to giggle. The rest of the patrol stood in silence, watching in confusion at the conversation.

Berryoak opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head and closed his mouth.

"Some of your warriors can come with me to the cave-guard side of the cave. We have spare hollows in the floor they can use. The apprentices can go with the to-bes," Stream gently broke into the exchange.

Rippleshade pricked his ears and eagerly followed her, along with Cinderbird and Duskblossom.

"The rest of you can come with me," a white she-cat told Cloudfish and Berryoak.

Duskblossom trailed behind with her sister, talking with her.

"Do you think they have good intentions?" Duskblossom asked her.

"I don't know," she admitted, "I can't see Foxclaw anywhere."

"The battle could draw us away for them to do _something _to him," Duskblossom realized with alarm.

"Why would they leave Rippleshade and Daypaw behind?" Cinderbird countered.

"True."

With a burst of happiness, Duskblossom realized that Thunder was a cave-guard. He was her only friend from the Tribe.

"Close your mouth before your prey falls out," Rippleshade murmured, his eyes twinkling, obviously remembering what she had said to him.

* * *

Cinderbird glanced at the rising sun. A patrol had offered to take her and Berryoak out to hunt, and she had never felt so uncomfortable in this new territory. The prey-hunters had explained that a couple of cave-guards went on every patrol; to protect them. Cinderbird wasn't sure what hey needed protection from.

"Eagles and hawks," Drop had explained.

Cinderbird shared a disbelieving look with Berryoak.

_Eagles and hawks? Those are birds, prey. _

A shadow engulfed her. She looked up, frightened. A massive eagle was coming down quickly. She tried to move her paws, but her legs were frozen to the rock. A fierce yowl brought her back. Drop and Lily were jumping on the massive eagle, giving a killing bite just as the bird was swooping in to take Cinderbird.

"Never forget to look up," Tree meowed in amusement.

How could he be so nonchalant? She had almost been bird food!

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Let's just get on with the patrol."

Returning back to the hidden cave with no prey in her jaws, she felt entirely helpless in this strange territory. They were only here to find Foxclaw, and that was what she wanted to do.

"Tough luck," Tree murmured to her.

She glared at him.

"You looked very natural hunting here in the mountains," he offered, trying to make amends.

"Whatever," she muttered, and trotted to Duskblossom, who was talking with a brown tabby tom.

"How was your hunting patrol?" Duskblossom asked sweetly.

"Terrible!" Cinderbird grunted, flopping on the ground. "I didn't catch a single thing!"

"Tough luck," the tom mewed sympathetically.

She gritted her teeth. _If one more cat says that to me…_

"Are you ready for the battle?" The brown tom asked.

Cinderbird opened her jaws to reply, but the handsome tom was talking to Duskblossom. This felt unnatural, Cinderbird realized. For once, it was Duskblossom getting the attention and not Cinderbird. Loneliness struck her. Was this how Duskblossom felt?

"It's meal time! We must eat before the battle!" A black prey-hunter announced.

The cats swarmed to their "caught prey," as they called it, and hungrily grabbed prey. Cinderbird noticed that two cats would pair up, and share prey.

"This must be their custom," she whispered to herself.

When it was Cinderbird's turn to grab prey, she looked for her sister to share with her. Spotting her laughing and eating with Thunder, she started to pad towards her fellow Clanmates, but was intercepted by Tree.

"Would you like to share prey?" he asked, giving her a charming grin.

She looked at the black-and-white tom. "Why not?"

He led her to a spot in the cave. "I could give you plenty of reasons why not."

He took a bite out of his prey and shoved it to her. Cinderbird smiled and did the same with her prey. It was nice to have a friend.

"So," he meowed, swallowing a piece of his snow hare, "Are you ready for the battle?"

"Of course," she straightened.

"Why are you Clan cats helping us?"

"We would help any cat in need," she simply responded.

_Except for DarkClan._

"I'm ready," he announced, taking another bite.

"So, out of curiosity, what's your full name?" she inquired.

"Tree Shaken by Wind," he replied.

"The battle patrol is fixing to leave!" Eagle called.

Cinderbird stood up, Tree following her.

"Thank you for sharing prey with me," his deep meow murmured.

She gazed at him. "No problem."

* * *

Duskblossom peered at a dip in the valley, revealing a small cave. It looked sheltered, and a home.

"That's their camp?" she whispered to Thunder.

Thunder gravely nodded. He padded to Berryoak, Gingerpaw, and Cloudfish, who were murmuring together.

Duskblossom could hear him meow, "Be careful. It's more dangerous than you believe."

Berryoak nodded, thanking him for his information, while Gingerpaw and Cloudfish scoffed at the thought of danger.

Thunder trotted back to Duskblossom.

"Remember, we don't harm the queens or kits," Eagle reminded them.

The smoky gray she-cat felt relieved that the Tribe, too, had a code of their own. A code was the life of a Clan or a Tribe, and every group of cats needed one.

Eagle lifted his tail, a signal to the cats to follow him into the Grace's camp. Duskblossom felt cowardly, slinking into a camp. This felt like something DarkClan would do, but she couldn't turn back now.

"What are the Graces like?" she hissed to Thunder.

He stared at her gravely. "You'll find out."

She looked at him in panic. _What does that mean? Are we walking into a camp of cats who have like three eyes or something?"_

Their camp was more structured than Duskblossom believed it to be. She could hardly imagine it being a place for a bloody battle, but, nevertheless, the cats still there.

"Attack!" Eagle cried, bursting into a den.

Shrieks filled the air and Duskblossom spotted a dark gray she-cat running out of her den, into another one.

"We're being attacked!" she cried.

A silver she-cat shot out. "You know what to do!" The silver she-cat ordered before she was lost in the swarm of yowling cats.

Two other she-cats bounded towards a precipice in their cave. Duskblossom watched them put up position there. Curiosity burned her pelt. She _had _to know what they were guarding. With an ear flick, she motioned for Cinderbird to follow her. The light gray she-cat landed one more blow at a yellow she-cat before following her sister.

"What is it?" Cinderbird hissed, ducking to avoid a cat hurling themselves off another precipice.

"Come with me," Duskblossom yowled, struggling to be heard against brutal battle screeches.

"Duskblossom, we don't have time for this!" she muttered impatiently, itching to get back to battle.

"I just need to check something out," the smoky gray she-cat insisted.

"Fine, bu—" Cinderbird's meow was cut off.

Duskblossom raced towards the precipice, eager to see what her enemies were hiding. The guards intercepted her with a clout to the ear, but Duskblossom deflected the blow. She pushed past them with the support of her sister and stopped in shock. Cinderbird gasped behind her.

"Foxclaw?" she cried.


	17. Chapter 16

"Foxclaw?" Cinderbird asked, looking at the red tom with a gasp of horror.

The handsome red tom's fur, once so sleek, was now ragged. He had a haunted look in his eyes that was only replaced by his look of surprise at seeing Cinderbird.

"Foxclaw!" she cried again, lunging towards him.

The two guards glared at her and blocked her path towards him.

"Please, you have to let me through!" she mewed, and struggled to see him past the guards.

His red fur became smaller and smaller as the guards carried her away, spitting at her.

"No, no! Foxclaw!" Cinderbird yowled.

Berryoak pricked his ears and looked up. "Foxclaw's here?" he asked in surprise.

"He's over there!" she cried to him, trying to resist her attackers.

"Nice try," one of them spat.

"Come on, Cleo," the other cat muttered, "We need to get back before that tom gets to him."

A fire starting building in Cinderbird. No cat could take him away and not pay the price! Her eyes flashed and she lunged towards the guards. Pouncing on Cleo's back, she dug in her claws and yowled a battle cry.

"Coco!" Cleo meowed, trying to alert her denmate.

The brown she-cat turned and saw Cleo being attacked. Cinderbird spat out a clump of white-and-gray fur and growled. Cleo looked up at her with blood trickling into her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she spat.

"Taking back what's mine," Cinderbird simply responded.

"Wha—" Cleo was cut off after receiving a clout on the ear.

Cinderbird felt her weaken and she jumped off of her opponent and dashed back into the cave. Somewhere, Foxclaw was waiting for her. She _had _to get to him.

"Duskblossom!" Cinderbird yowled, "Is he still there?"

The smoky gray she-cat shook her head. "More guards came and took him away. There was nothing we could do."

"Cloudfish! He's here!" Cinderbird alerted him.

Cloudfish glanced at the pretty tortoiseshell she-cat he was fighting with before delivering another blow. He broke off from the fight and stumbled towards the she-cats.

"Are you okay?" Duskblossom asked, sniffing his wound in concern.

"I'm fine," he grunted, but his eyes revealed his pain.

"Foxclaw! He was taken away!" Cinderbird mewed.

Berryoak limped up to them. "Right now, there's nothing we can do. We told the Tribe cats we would help them, and we will."

"We also told Shadestar and Mistbriar we would find Foxclaw!" Cinderbird shot back.

"We can come back. Right now, we don't have the advantage," Berryoak told her gently.

"No," she let out a strangled cry.

Berryoak and Cloudfish resumed their fighting and Duskblossom licked her sister's ear before doing the same.

"What if they move him?" Cinderbird asked in a small voice to her sister before she left.

"Then we'll find him. He will _always _find you, and you will _always _find him," Duskblossom replied encouragingly.

Cinderbird looked at her sister doubtfully. "You think?" she whispered.

"I know," Duskblossom answered, "Come on," she nudged Cinderbird to her paws, "We have a battle."

Cinderbird reluctantly stood up. The scratches Cleo and Coco had given her were becoming sore and she figured she would have to get them treated.

"Where is Thalia?" Eagle roared.

A dark she-cat looked at him defiantly, even though Eagle could have ripped her apart.

"Now, Eagle," she purred, "Calm down, darling."

Eagle twitched his whiskers. "Where is Thalia?" he repeated, looking amused at her attempt to soften him.

A bright yellow she-cat padded up to him. Cinderbird watched Gingerpaw's eyes bug out as the pretty she-cat walked smoothly past him.

"We'll never tell," she spat.

"Well, isn't your sister here somewhere?" Eagle encouraged her, looking around.

He flicked his ears at Oak, telling him to bring him the she-cat. The black-and-white tom came back with a spitting tortoiseshell she-cat. The she-cat wrenched herself out of Oak's possession and stared bravely at Eagle.

"What do you want with me?" she snarled.

"Now, Calista," Eagle began, "You know we have a history."

Calista allowed a glimmer of guilt to creep into her eyes.

"Now, if your sweet sister doesn't tell me where Thalia is, I'm going to shred you."

To Calista's credit, Cinderbird noticed that not a single flash of fear rang in her eyes. Cinderbird wasn't sure why he was being so brutal.

Eagle unsheathed his claws. "Three, two…"

The yellow she-cat shifted on her paws. When Eagle started to drawl out "one", she opened her jaws.

"Stop!" A mew rang out, but this yowl wasn't the yellow she-cat.

Cinderbird watched a beautiful silver tabby make her way out of a side tunnel in the cave.

"What are you doing in our cave?" she asked, her voice as smooth as honey.

"Thalia, as you very well know," Eagle snarled, "you have been stealing prey!"

"All this for morsels of prey?" Thalia scoffed. "Please."

Cinderbird retrained a _mrrow_ of amusement at Cloudfish's expression. His eyes were fixed on the silver she-cat and nothing Eagle threatened shook it.

"Leave. Us. Alone!" Eagle growled.

"Fine," Thalia snapped after hesitating, "If you let her go," she bartered.

"Fine," he retorted and signaled to Oak to let Calista go.

Calista spat at the two toms and retreated back to the Graces.

"The red cat," Eagle reminded her.

The silver she-cat looked up at him. "No."

"The red cat." His voice rose with every word he spoke.

"No!" Thalia remained strong, to Cinderbird's dismay. "We had a _deal," _she growled.

"Fine!" Eagle snapped, "But, we'll be back for him."

"Estelle," Thalia called the tabby she-cat, "Go make sure our queens our safe."

"Yes, Thalia," Estelle dipped her head.

Cinderbird glanced at her sister, whose eyes were bugging out.

"Estelle?" Duskblossom called.

The tabby she-cat turned.

"Are-are you…Are you Cooper's Estelle?" she asked, theories bubbling in her eyes.

Estelle looked back at the smoky gray-she cat. "Yes," she whispered, memories rippling in her amber gaze.

* * *

Daypaw studied her paws, bored out of her mind. Gingerpaw was off fighting some mysterious cats and she and Rippleshade were stuck in the cave, like elders. Rippleshade didn't seem to mind, he was busy flirting with Stream. Daypaw wanted to eat her own paw, she was so sick and tired of hearing them gush over each other.

"Who do you think has the most silver pelt?" Stream giggled.

_Oh. My. StarClan. _

Forget eating her own paw, she would still be able to hear them. How about eating her ears? Was that possible?

_Or drugging them both with poppy seeds, _Daypaw contemplated. _But where would poppy seeds grow in this StarClan forsaken place? _

"Yeah, I think you do, too," Stream gushed.

Daypaw wanted to bang her head into the rock.

"Can we have some quiet over here?" she exploded.

Stream and Rippleshade both glared at her and continued talking.

_Why? Why? Why?_

Glancing at the cave entrance, she was surprised to see that the patrol was back already. Eagle led them in, bloody and battered. Daypaw jumped to her paws. Cinderbird followed slowly behind, her eyes alight with hope and fear.

"What happened?" Daypaw asked them.

"We won," Eagle announced, though his voice wasn't filled with triumph or happiness. His voice was filled with pain, and his eyes were dull.

"Cinderbird?" Daypaw asked, her small mew somehow echoing off the cave walls.

The gray she-cat mutely turned towards the apprentice. "Foxclaw," she whispered.

"Foxclaw? What? Did you find him?" Daypaw's voice was filled with hope.

"He's with the Graces," Cinderbird rasped. "He's in the mountains."

"W-where is he? I don't understand. If he was with the Graces, why didn't you bring him back?" Daypaw stammered.

Cinderbird swooned, her blue eyes closing as she fell to the cave floor. Daypaw prodded her with a single gray paw.

_What just happened?_

"Um, Duskblossom?" she asked, looking with concern at the passed out she-cat. "I think she fainted."

Duskblossom bounded over to the two she-cats. "You think?" she asked sarcastically. "Where's Stoneteller? Cinderbird needs some help," she went on, calling to the Tribe cats.

Stoneteller trotted over to where they were all standing. His thick white fur was tainted by blood. His eyes radiated exhaustion.

"She just… fell over," Daypaw explained.

"Just fell over, huh?" Stoneteller chuckled.

Duskblossom scoffed. "Can you just help her, please?"

He winked, "I'll see what I can do."

Daypaw turned to Duskblossom. "Cinderbird said that Foxclaw was there."

Duskblossom looked at her paws nervously. "Yeah, he was there."

"Well, where _is he?" _Daypaw inquired.

"We couldn't save him. They took him away again," Duskblossom softly explained.

"Why did you let them take him away?" Daypaw cried.

Her namesake eyes were full of distraught and confusion.

"There was nothing we could do," Duskblossom whispered, but her eyes revealed there was more.

"There's always something you can do," Daypaw hissed, and walked away to find Gingerpaw.

The red tom was panting, and laying on his side. Daypaw could clearly see a huge red gash down his flank.

"Where's Stoneteller?" A gray tribe cat yowled.

Their Healer was still busy checking Cinderbird, but at the sound of his name, he turned and bounded towards the other injured cats.

"They put up a fight," he murmured. "Please, every cat, make sure your wound is clean _before _I see you."

Daypaw felt utterly helpless. Watching cats die would do that to you. But knowing there was _nothing _you could do was the worst feeling.

"Daypaw, go inside my den and fetch cobwebs," Stoneteller ordered.

She nodded and rushed off, glad to be doing _something. _Was this the way to his cave? All she knew about it was that it was a sacred place, and place not to be tampered with. She peered into the den and saw beautiful spiderwebs draped from the ceiling and into the corners.

_These will work, _she decided.

Bounding to a cobweb filled corner, something out of the corner of her eye made her stop. A puddle, filled with moonlight, seemed to speak to her. Daypaw looked around guilty and trotted towards it. The moon shone so brightly, it seemed to speak to her.

Daypaw shook her head. It was nothing but a simple puddle. The cobwebs were what was needed. Snatching the webs in her jaws, she cast one last sorrowful look at the pool of water before quickly exiting the den.

* * *

**The Graces**

**Leader:** Thalia, pretty silver she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Second Command:** Violet, dark gray she-cat with green eyes

**Mollies:**

Estelle, former kittypet, pretty tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Coco, dark brown she-cat with blue eyes

Callie, tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Lyla, light gray she-cat with darker stripes and amber eyes

Sunny, bright yellow she-cat with blue eyes

Cleo, white she-cat with gray patches and green eyes

Calista, tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

**Queens: **

Marie, pretty she-cat with a shimmering black pelt and green eyes, expecting kits

Dixie, red she-cat with dazzling blue eyes, expecting kits

Chloe, blue-gray she-cat with pretty dark blue eyes, expecting kits


	18. Chapter 17

Mistbriar tossed her gray head and blinked her creamy blue eyes at Sagepond. It was definitely a mistake sending all of the single toms to the mountains. Sagepond was way too desperate.

_Thinking of that, I hope they made it. We can't have good, interesting patrols without them. _

Dawn patrols weren't as fun without Rippleshade's glares and Cloudfish's stupid conversations. The white tom could not understand that early mornings meant grumpy cats. He was the only one who didn't catch the memo.

"Mistbriar!"

She turned her head, expecting a tom. At least, a handsome tom.

"The ceremony's about to start," Shadestar meowed.

Mistbriar nodded. More apprentices meant more toms. But, not like that was the only thing she cared about.

"'Kay," she replied, her voice as silky as honey.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather!" Shadestar yowled, jumping up to a perch.

Mistbriar daintily bounced to a good position to listen, watching the other cats flood out of their dens like the river in newleaf. The cats tittered amongst themselves, wondering what the announcement could be. Bramblestorm and Mossysong led their kits out of the nursery proudly, confirming the rumors. Dovekit and Thistlekit's fur were groomed neatly and their fur shone in the light. Thistlekit shook out his tabby fur, earning a glare from his father, warning him not to mess his pelt up. Dovekit, on the other paw, seemed to glide gracefully across the clearing. Mistbriar could tell she would be a useful hunter.

"Dovekit, Thistlekit, you have reached your six moons," Shadestar greeted them. "Dovekit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dovepaw. Skyberry received excellent training from Stormlight, and you will be her apprentice."

The newly named Dovepaw stepped forward to touch noses with Skyberry. Excitement in her blue eyes, she padded back to her parents, who greeted her with a lick.

"Thistlekit, from this day on, you will be known as Thistlepaw. I will be your mentor. Serve your Clan well," Shadestar meowed.

Thistlepaw glanced at his father, shock in his eyes. He obviously didn't expect to receive training from the leader himself. He padded towards Shadestar and eagerly touched noses with him.

"Thistlepaw! Dovepaw!" The Clan cheered.

The two apprentices glanced at each other, happiness clear in their gaze. Willowpaw, Speckpaw, and Rosepaw padded up to them.

"Welcome to the den," Willowpaw purred sweetly, though there was a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Dovepaw smiled. "Thank you," she smiled, but a look of knowledge tainted her blue eyes.

"Of course." Rosepaw's words were obviously meant for Thistlepaw.

"Willowpaw," Mistbriar called. She knew she would have to contain her apprentice at sometime. "Come on, time for training."

Willowpaw nodded cooly at the new apprentices, letting them know she was in charge, before bounding away with her mentor. The two she-cats, both pretty and somewhat ruthless, walked together out of IceClan's camp.

* * *

"But, how are we going to get Foxclaw back?" Duskblossom asked, setting her paws neatly in front of her.

Berryoak glanced at the nearby Tribe cats. "Can we really talk about this in front of them?" he hissed.

"What do you mean?" Daypaw asked, after all, she hadn't been at the battle.

"The Tribe cats, too, were concerned about getting Foxclaw. We just don't know their purposes," Cloudfish explained quietly, glancing at Eagle, who had just sat down next to them.

"He's saying, can we trust them?" Cinderbird retorted.

Daypaw tipped her gray head. Duskblossom felt a surge of frustration. They should not have to sneak around like this just to get their Clanmate back!

"What do you think?" Cloudfish smartly replied.

"No," Berryoak scoffed, "They're just like us, thinking of themselves first. You think Stoneteller would just let us have Foxclaw without raising a paw?"

"We can beat this bunch," Gingerpaw insisted.

"He's right," Rippleshade pointed out, surprising the cats with his voice.

"We need to have a plan," Duskblossom spoke up. "We need to know what we're doing and _why _we're doing this."

"Of course we know _why _we're doing this," Cinderbird cried, "We're doing this to save Foxclaw."

Duskblossom narrowed her eyes and suspected her sister was putting on a show. Cinderbird had told her _multiple _times that she wasn't sure about her feelings.

"Of course, you would say that," Daypaw muttered.

"Um, excuse me?" The gray she-cat whipped around to face the apprentice.

"You haven't been oh, so helpful on this journey," Daypaw reminded her.

"And who invited you on this journey?" Cinderbird snapped.

"I did, thank you very much!" Daypaw shot back, "And any cat could have told me to go back. I'm quite capable of defending myself and getting back to IceClan."

"So, O great Leader, what are your suggestions?" Cinderbird sneered.

Duskblossom stepped forward and touched the tip of her tail to Cinderbird's shoulder. "Calm down," she murmured, "You're both just worried."

The pretty gray she-cat nodded reluctantly and allowed her neck fur to go back down. She licked her paw in embarrassment. Daypaw, on the other hand, turned her back to them both. Cloudfish and Berryoak exchanged amused expressions.

"We still need a plan," Gingerpaw whispered, glancing at the Tribe cats who were watching the argument.

"Okay, so what should we do?" Berryoak countered, leading the patrol away from the Tribe cats.

"Well, Daypaw wasn't at the battle," Duskblossom started slowly, "Maybe she could ask if she could join the Graces? We could have some cat in on the inside."

"Why not Rippleshade? He's a much more experienced warrior," Berryoak pointed out.

"In case you haven't noticed, Rippleshade is a tom. It looked to me like all of the cats there were she-cats," she replied.

"I'm in," Daypaw announced, bounding back towards them.

"Hang on, we haven't even said we were going to do it," Cloudfish meowed.

"I say let's do it!" Cinderbird agreed, "It's our best plan."

Duskblossom glanced at Berryoak, who was contemplating her plan.

"We don't know the full lengths of how dangerous these cats truly are," Rippleshade interrupted, "We don't know how they train, it might be dangerous business."

"It would so be worth it, to save Foxclaw!" Daypaw insisted.

"The Tribe cats want Foxclaw," Duskblossom remembered. "They wouldn't have been so willing just to help us. If we rescue him, he could just be taken away."

"You really think he would let any more cats take him away? Even when he's not at his full strength, he's still a formidable warrior," Cinderbird growled.

Daypaw suddenly straightened and twitched her ears. Duskblossom followed with her eyes the direction she had pointed, and saw the worthless she-cat Stream and another she-cat called Branch.

"I want to do it," Daypaw confirmed. "It's a perfect plan."

Berryoak shifted on his paws. Decisions flickered in his amber eyes and his cream fur bristled.

"I say, go for it," he finally agreed.

Duskblossom caught a glimpse of Daypaw trying to suppress an excited squeal.

"Yes!" Daypaw shouted.

"Okay, how are we going to get her over to the Graces?" Cinderbird muttered, swishing her tail back and forth.

"Simple, I go, begging and pleading for them to take me in," Daypaw smugly replied.

"That's a stupid plan!" she exclaimed.

"Hang on, it might not be. You saw how they treated their queens. They might have a lick of honor," Berryoak pointed out.

Duskblossom shifted on her haunches. She was painfully aware that she was low in rank to discuss this with senior warriors, but then, so was Cinderbird. Daypaw was lowest, and she had an important part to play in their plan.

The cream tom licked a darker paw. "I still think we should go with Daypaw and Duskblossom's plan."

"What if something goes wrong?" Duskblossom fretted.

"What are you? A nursing queen?" Daypaw shot back hotly, "We have a chance and we should take it!" She stood up. "We can get him back!"

* * *

Daypaw swished her tail over her paws. This was the place, the Grace's camp. Their camp resided in a cave, hidden by a boulder. Grassy fields were splayed in front of it, and the blue sky was speckled with clouds.

Daypaw's Clanmates were hiding behind a scraggly bush. Cinderbird mouthed, "You can do it!"

She knew she could do it. Clearing her throat, Daypaw started wailing and limping towards the Grace's camp.

"Oh, some cat, please help me!" she cried.

Two pairs of deadly eyes blinked open. A dark brown she-cat, with paws ringed with black, and a white she-cat with gray splotches stepped out of the cave.

"Who are you?" The white she-cat hissed.

Remembering her instructions, Daypaw pitifully wailed, "My name is Day. Please, can you help me?"

The brown she-cat twitched her ears disbelievingly. "Sure, and we're just supposed to believe that you're hurt?"

The white she-cat stepped forward, placing a paw on her denmate. " Coco, she's hurt. What would Thalia think?"

Coco snorted. "Fine, Cleo. We'll take her in, let Thalia look at her."

_Yes! The plan is on. _

The two she-cats led Daypaw into a cave, which was bigger than it looked like on the outside. Blinking to get used to the darkness, she started to make out an organized camp. She spotted three pregnant queens sharing tongues and gossiping, and two younger cats play-fighting. Although, she did notice that, like Duskblossom mentioned, no toms were present. No elders were eating prey, or exchanging stories.

"Thalia!" Coco called, "We have a… visitor."

A graceful silver she-cat emerged from a den.

"Who are you?" Thalia powerfully demanded.

Daypaw dipped her head. "My name is Day."

"Very well, Day, what are you doing in my territory?" she spat.

"I am here _begging _for protection. There is a group of cats that are trying to hurt me, and I thought you could help," Daypaw explained.

_Ugh, groveling for "protection." Never thought that would happen. _

Daypaw noticed the silver she-cat's eyes soften. She guessed something had happened to her, to make her so soft to she-cats in trouble.

"You can stay," she graciously murmured.

"Oh, thank you!" Daypaw exclaimed, surprising the cats with her relief.

Thalia continued, "Sunny and Calista, the youngest cats here, will be your guardians. They will instruct you on how we live, and how you are expected to act if you stay with us."

A yellow cat and a tortoiseshell cat bounded up to Daypaw, whose fur was prickling uneasily.

"Thank you," Daypaw repeated politely and walked off with the two she-cats.

"Who are you?" The yellow she-cat demanded, Daypaw guessed she was Sunny.

"My name is Dayp- Day," she replied.

The tortoiseshell, who must be Calista, meowed, "Okay, whatever, we're the Graces, blah-blah."

"Thank you so much for that new piece of information," Daypaw sarcastically mewed, "I will cherish it for the rest of my life."

The tortoiseshell, who apparently didn't catch the sarcasm, looked pleased. "Finally, a cat who appreciates it!"

Sunny rolled her eyes and whispered to Daypaw, "She's not the brightest cat in the world."

Daypaw let out a _mrrow _of amusement.

Sunny continued, "Anyways, we are the Graces. As you probably noticed, there are no toms here. Thank goodness for that!"

Calista cut in, "And blah, blah, blah we're the youngest, which means we have the "privilege" of feeding the queens and taking care of new arrivals."

The yellow she-cat looked around to see if anyone was listening, "Yeah, and guess what? We actually have a prisoner here!" Sunny exclaimed.

Daypaw tried to resist the pull of excitement. "Really?" she gasped.

"Yeah," Calista rolled her eyes, "And it's our job to take care of him. You will probably help with that, too."

Daypaw realized this would be the perfect chance to tell Foxclaw the plan.

"So what else do you guys do?" she asked.

"Well, so this is really complicated, but all Graces have to be beautiful. It's like a rule. It's so weird," Sunny complained, "It's like genetic, or something."

"Or something," Calista muttered.

Ignoring her sister, Sunny went on, "All of the toms here are sent out to the wilderness when they're old enough."

Biting her tongue, Daypaw so desperately wanted to say something, to protest against that cruel treatment.

"I've heard some toms go to… the Tribe," Calista shuddered.

"The Tribe cats are _terrible!_" Sunny bursted out.

"Back to what we were actually talking about," Calista reminded her sister. "There's this time window when she-cats can get pregnant. It would completely break all of the rules if any she-cat expected kits outside of it. That hasn't happened as far as I can remember, but I expect they'll get thrown out."

Daypaw shuddered. She longed for the freedom of the Clans.

"And, yeah. That's us," Sunny finished. "Right now there are three queens, Marie, Dixie, and Chloe. Don't get on the wrong side of Marie, trust me."

"Who's that?" Daypaw asked, looking at a powerful gray she-cat. The she-cat radiated ambition and power, and Daypaw could tell she was some cat important.

"That," Calista shuddered, "Is Violet."

"She's our second command. She does Thalia's dirty work," Sunny completed her sister's sentence.

_Sort of like a deputy. _

"Thanks for telling me all of this," Daypaw murmured, words trying to trickle out of her mouth, and doing so resentfully.

"No problem. It's getting late. We'd better catch some prey for the queens," Calista reminded them.

Daypaw nodded, "I'll help."

_Maybe we'll take prey to Foxclaw. _

* * *

"I wonder how she's doing," Cinderbird sighed.

"I'm sure she's fine," Duskblossom soothed, from where she was sharing prey with Rippleshade.

Cinderbird laid her head on her paws. There was just something she couldn't place about the Tribe, something dangerous. She knew they couldn't be trusted, but why in StarClan not? They had shown loyalty and had protected the Clan cats. There's just something…

Stoneteller poked his head out of his den. She watched him glance around, obviously searching for some cat. His gaze rested on a pretty white she-cat. He bounded cautiously towards her, and a resentful glare came his way. He sat down next to her, placing his tail on her flank when she tried to get up. Cinderbird saw his jaws open, probably to say, "Just listen." She watched him talk, and the white she-cat's expression softened. She leaned forward and nuzzled him, and he melted under her touch. They touched noses and Stoneteller walked reluctantly back to his den.

Cinderbird turned her gaze back to the Clan cats, who were quietly sharing tongues. The moon was rising and the cave was cast into shadows. Two huge cave-guards made their way to a few fox-lengths away from the patrol. They both settled down, and tucked their paws into their chests. Cinderbird assumed they were their to guard the foreign cats.

Taking a bite out of the dusty eagle they had been given, she realized how much Foxclaw meant to her. Could she really expect to live life normally without him?

_Yes, _a voice inside of her muttered, but she shook away the thought.

_Love is impossible._

* * *

**So, hope you like the book so far! I have a few things I need help on. **

**1\. Daypaw is about to become a warrior, and I need some help with names! At first when I named her, my first thought was, "Daypaw? And what is her warrior name going to be? Daylight?" **

**Sad thing is, I kinda like the name now. Ahh, I seriously have no clue! Daystorm, Daylight, Daybae, I just don't know. Ah, I'm pitiful. **

**2\. I'm still contemplating making a sequel to On Thin Ice, or just sucking it up and just keep on adding new chapters.**

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Happy reading! And don't forget to pretty please review! ;)**

**-Poppyfrost123 **


	19. Chapter 18

The wind swirled through the mountains, creating an ominous whistling sound. Daypaw felt a shiver run through her as she gazed into the unfamiliar territory. In the Tribe, cave-guards had always been there to protect the hunting patrols, but here, she was on her own.

"Day!" A harsh meow interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, Calista?" Daypaw politely responded, rolling her eyes inwardly. If Foxclaw caught her being polite to any cat, he would be so surprised, his whiskers would fall off.

"Come on, the queens are waiting for food," Calista reminded her, snatching up a snow white hare.

Daypaw knew that it was in the warrior code to feed the queens, but the queens here were so ungrateful. Dixie gobbled her prey down without a word, and Chloe and Marie simply stared at them with cold, beady eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Daypaw grumbled as she scampered down the treacherous mountains.

She saw a cream pelt hiding behind a scraggly bush, and knew that Berryoak was trying his best to keep an eye on Daypaw, all while hiding from the Graces. Poor cat didn't blend in with his surroundings, and Daypaw resisted a _mrrow _of amusement. At least he was trying. It couldn't have been easy to sneak away from the Tribe, from those watchful eyes. Daypaw flicked her tail to let him know she saw him.

"Day!" Calista called again, her tone getting sharper.

Daypaw hurriedly picked up the closest piece of prey she could find, a small mouse the size of her paw. She distinctly remembered Calista telling her to leave that here, as it wouldn't touch any cat's hunger, but it is what it is.

"Coming," she mumbled.

They stepped into the sheltered cave, and the unfamiliar territory became less unfamiliar. Daypaw was starting to feel at home here, but she knew she could never stay. This was all for Foxclaw, but the mission seemed to be spiraling away from him. There was still no sign of the fox-red tom, but Daypaw knew he was here. She could feel it, with every fiber in her body. They just had to get to him before the Tribe did.

"Day, what in the mountains is that piece of pitiful prey?" Marie's shrill cry rang out.

"I'm sorry, Marie, it was the best I could find," Daypaw dipped her head in mock respect.

"Your best," Marie snarled, "is pitiful."

Daypaw allowed a furious glint to flash in her brilliant blue eyes. Here, Dixie's eyes were the only ones that rivaled her own. The father of Marie's kits clearly only liked her because of her looks, not because of her personality.

"Your kits are going to be as ugly as you are on the inside," Daypaw muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Marie snapped.

"Oh, I just said, I'll have to try harder next time," Daypaw tried desperately to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

StarClan, she missed Mothpaw.

Trotting back to Sunny and Calista, she rolled her eyes in the direction of the queens. Calista scoffed, while Sunny nodded in agreement.

"My St- gosh," Daypaw quickly remembered any Clan habits would give her away, "they're ruthless."

"You've only been here for three days," Sunny reminded her, "And we've been here our whole lives."

The yellow she-cat had a point. It must have been torture growing up with _that _menace.

"Day, may I talk to you?" Thalia called smoothly, rolling her silver paw over a piece of prey.

Daypaw shot a nervous look at the two Graces, who shrugged, and bounded over to the leader.

"So, _Daypaw_, how are you today?" Thalia smirked.

Shock flared through ever inch of Daypaw's body. She felt cornered and trapped by Thalia's burning gaze.

"W-what?" Daypaw managed to stammer.

"Yes, little Daypaw, I know your secret. And I know why you're here," Thalia purred, motioning for Violet to come to them.

The pretty gray she-cat bounded up with a glare to Daypaw.

"Fetch our prisoner," Thalia ordered, still keeping her watchful gaze on Daypaw.

"No," Daypaw gasped as Violet nodded and bounded towards a shadowy cliff.

Violet came back with a familiar red tom. His pelt was ragged and Daypaw could tell he was underfed, but his handsome blue eyes burned defiance. His white paws were turned a brown-gray color from the dust.

"Foxclaw," Daypaw choked.

At the sound of his name, the handsome tom lifted his head and a blaze of happiness roared in his eyes.

"Dayp—" he started but was cut off by a kick from Violet.

"Let him go," Daypaw turned bravely to Thalia, even though she was greatly outnumbered.

_Oh why can't the patrol just magically show up? _

"Sweet, Daypaw, we cannot do that. We need him," Thalia laughed.

"Why do you need him?" Daypaw shot back.

"Darling, the Tribe needs him," Violet gushed, "Therefore, it's in our best interest keeping him from them."

"What? That is the dumbest reason I've ever heard," Daypaw shouted and lunged towards the silver she-cat.

Violet quickly intercepted her, and Daypaw was thrown off and landed with a thump. She saw Foxclaw rise shakily to his paws.

"Stop!" he rasped, voice quavering with exhaustion, but loud and clear.

"And how will you make me?" Violet scoffed.

Daypaw saw her chance and jumped on the unaware she-cat's back. Violet let out a yowl as sharp claws dug into her.

"Foxclaw! Get out of here!" Daypaw shrieked, knowing it was an almost impossible task, but it was worth a shot.

The tom quickly dashed towards the entrance, as much as his condition would let him, but was stopped by a confused Sunny.

_Oh please StarClan, just let him get out, somehow, someway. _

Sunny let out a snarl and faced Foxclaw, but the young she-cat was no match for his size. His strength was low, but his skill bested the yellow she-cat.

"What?" Thalia screamed as her molly made a wrong move and was thrown to the floor. "Violet, get him!"

The gray she-cat squirmed to throw Daypaw off her back, but Daypaw held on, scratching at the she-cat's face. Blood quickly trickled down the formidable second-command's eyes and she was temporally blinded.

"Hello? Calista? Lyla?" Thalia ordered, "Get him!"

_How in StarClan is he actually defeating them? _Daypaw wondered in amazement.

She assumed that most of the Graces were out hunting or their favorite pastime— sunning themselves. Daypaw knew the patrols were required to come back by twilight, and it was only halfway to sundown.

"I'll be right behind you!" Daypaw yelled to Foxclaw.

"Oh no you won't," Thalia snarled and the world went black.

* * *

Cinderbird paused suddenly when a red speck caught her eye. It stood out against the gray colors of the mountain, but how could she be sure? She, Duskblossom, and Gingerpaw were forced to go on a hunting patrol with the Tribe, so suspicions would definitely arise if she bounded down the mountain just to try to confirm a glimmer of hope.

"Duskblossom," she murmured nudging her sister and glancing at the red spot shifting.

The smoky gray she-cat followed her gaze and Cinderbird knew she would think the same thought.

"You think?" she whispered.

From their bird's eye view, it looked as though Foxclaw was heading out of the mountains.

"Daypaw's not with him," Cinderbird noticed with a flash of alarm.

"Should we ask Berryoak to go check on her?" Duskblossom worried.

The cream tom had decreed that no cat but him was to go to the Grace's camp.

A twinge of panic spiraled itself through Cinderbird's body. She just had this feeling, something was wrong. Her ears pricked, she and Duskblossom quietly fell back from the patrol.

"Should we try?" Cinderbird breathed.

"We'll never catch up," Her sister pointed out.

"We can try," Cinderbird whispered.

Her blue eyes pleaded with her sister. With Duskblossom, common sense always won. She hoped somehow, common sense would lose this time.

"Please," Cinderbird begged, "You know how much this means to me."

"You don't even love him," Duskblossom cried out, "And you expect us to lose our lives for a cat you don't even love."

"He's our Clanmate," Cinderbird pleaded.

"So is Gingerpaw, but we left him with the Tribe cats alone," Duskblossom shot back.

"He'll understand. We're on this mission to save Foxclaw, that's why we're here."

Duskblossom sighed. _Yes, she's weakening! _

"Why not?" she finally gave in.

Cinderbird could tell that in her sister's eyes, Duskblossom could give a lot of reasons why not.

"Let's go."

* * *

**Hey! I have decided to continue this book for a while, and then maybe start a new one focusing on new main characters. Here's some random reviews (AaHh thank you so much for them) mostly because I was bored and decided to bedazzle it. (In case you couldn't tell, I'm a total dork)**

**Grayshadow Warrior- Thank you so much for your support and advice, it really means a lot to me. Should I name her Daybae? hmm haha. Still deciding who to ship Foxclaw with, I hadn't even thought about FoxXday before, so you really changed the story with that idea, thanks! In my opinion, that added detail made it better.**

**Guest and Guest from a few chapters back- Your OCs will ****definitely be used in the future, and I have a few ideas of where they should be put! Thank you for your support!**

**Stormwillow17- thank you for your compliments and advice. Trust me, Duskblossom is so much more than that ;)**

**Ilovecats1- Thank you, and I will. Also thank you so much for your inspiring review on Flowerwish's heart. It made my heart swell with that encouragement! I've also been reading your stories, and they're really good! **

**Peaklog3727- thank you so much for your support and encouragement! **

**Right now, I'm deciding between Daystorm, Daycloud, Daymist, and Daylight. Pls let me know in the reviews what you think and I am open to ideas! (Cause I really need some XD) Happy reading!**

**-Poppyfrost123**


	20. Chapter 19

Daypaw woke up with a pounding pain in her head. The walls containing her were spinning and she had to blink to keep from passing out again.

"Wh-what happened?" she murmured, not expecting a reply.

"You crossed Thalia," a mutter answered her, "and this is where cats who cross Thalia end up."

Daypaw sat up. "Who are you?" she asked, afraid that the stranger was part of the Graces.

"My name is Autumn," the stranger replied, "The Graces kicked me out too."

Daypaw peered, trying to get used to the dark and gloomy cave she was trapped in. A shaft of light landed on the former Grace, and she saw a tortoiseshell with matted fur.

"I'm Daypaw," she told her, trying to summon her courage again.

"Can't say I'm pleased to meet you," Autumn muttered.

"Why are you in here, Autumn?" Daypaw inquired.

"I told you, crossing Thalia."

"No, that's not it," Daypaw insisted, "Something else happened."

The tortoiseshell she-cat sighed. "Fine. I fell in love with a Tribe cat, Reed. I soon found out I was expecting his kits, and I had to invent a rouge cat as the father. My kits came, and all three of them were lovely, handsome toms. Of course, _Thalia,_" Autumn snapped, "insisted I throw them out when they reached six moons. I refused and look where that got me. My kits are probably dead and I'm stuck in this wonderful cave forever."

"I'm sorry," Daypaw offered, knowing nothing she could say would ever make the she-cat feel better.

"Do you know Reed?" Autumn suddenly asked, "I've heard whispers from the guards that you came from the Tribe."

Daypaw's heart ached. Yes, she knew Reed, but the gray tom had moved on. He had taken to Frost, a dark gray she-cat, and she already had his kits.

"Do you know him?" she repeated, reading something in Daypaw's eyes.

"Yes," Daypaw whispered, bracing herself for what was coming.

"Well, how is he?" Autumn asked, worry glimmering in her green eyes.

"He's good," Daypaw drawled.

"What aren't you telling me?" she demanded.

"He's moved on," Daypaw rasped, preparing herself for the worst.

A shiver passed through Autumn, and Daypaw sadly assumed her heart was breaking.

"H-he said he would always love me," Autumn whimpered.

This strong, defiant cat, was now turned weak because of love.

"I'm sorry," Daypaw whispered sadly.

"It's not your fault," Autumn straightened up, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Who is he with now?" she interrogated.

"A-a she-cat called… Frost, I believe." Daypaw felt like a coward. Why was she telling Autumn these facts, when she knew that Autumn would come after Frost? "Please don't hurt any cat, it's really not worth it!" Daypaw pleaded.

"_I _won't hurt Frost," Autumn promised, "I'll just make Reed wish he'd never been kitted."

Daypaw gulped. _Oh fish dung. What have I done?_

* * *

Needledawn glanced at her quickly growing belly, feeling kits moving within her. Shadestar had begged her to move to the nursery, where Frecklelight would take care of her, but she had refused. If anything happened, she wanted to be with her mate. Shadestar hadn't decided on names, but Needledawn knew exactly what she wanted to name her kits.

She wanted to name a kit after Shadestar, maybe Cloudkit? Shadestar would insist on naming a kit after Needledawn, so Pinekit was an obvious choice. And if they had another kit, she wanted to name the kit when she saw it.

"Needledawn," a deep mew greeted her.

The silver tabby turned and saw Shadestar bounding towards her.

"Hey," she purred, and rubbed her muzzle against his.

"How are you?" he murmured, glancing pointedly at her stomach.

"They're fine," Needledawn supplied. "Goosesight said they should arrive in a half moon or so."

"It's about time he took an apprentice," Shadestar pondered, "Maybe one of Frecklelight's kits will show an interest."

"Or one of ours," she reminded him.

This was her happy ending, being with Shadestar and soon to be with their kits. A jolt shook her.

"Needledawn?" Shadestar asked cautiously, "Are you okay?"

She crouched down, pain shooting through her belly, "Does it look like I'm okay? Get Goosesight!" she snapped.

She watched the black tom dart towards the elder's den, then the medicine cat den, as if he wasn't sure where to go.

"Goosesight!" he yowled urgently.

Dovepaw stared at her leader nervously. "He went out to go get herbs," she told him.

"Go get him!" Shadestar snapped.

The young tortoiseshell apprentice nodded and dashed out of the camp.

"Thistlepaw!" Shadestar called, "Go with your sister, she doesn't need to be out alone."

The tabby tom obeyed, chasing after Dovepaw. Shadestar ran back to Needledawn with Frecklelight and Mossysong at his paws. Needledawn knew she should feel comforted that two experienced queens were at her side, but the pain was too much.

"Some cat should get Stormlight," Mossysong put in. "She's had at least two litters."

Frecklelight nodded and ran towards the elders den, calling at Hailpaw to watch her kits. She returned with an elderly blue-gray she-cat.

"Needledawn's kitting," Frecklelight informed Stormlight.

"I can see that," she muttered and sat down beside the silver tabby. "Now, Needledawn, take deep breaths. It will all be over soon and you won't even remember the pain!"

Shadestar hovered at the entrance of their den, glancing over his shoulder repeatedly to see if Goosesight was coming. He looked torn, he wanted himself to get the medicine cat to help his mate, but he wanted to see their kits take their first gulping breath.

Needledawn let out a pain-stricken caterwaul, one that made Shadestar, a cat who had been to many, many, battles flinch.

"She's bleeding," Frecklelight whispered to Mossysong.

"It's okay," Mossysong soothed Needledawn with a nervous glance to Frecklelight, "Goosesight will be here soon, and your lovely kits will be born."

Shadestar was pacing now, tearing with his claws at the floor. Needledawn wanted to reassure him, and let him know that even if she didn't survive, she would always be there for him and their kits.

Finally, a gray tom with white patches burst through the leader's den.

"Let me through," he commanded the queens, weaving professionally through the crowd.

Stormlight shifted and the medicine cat sat down next to her.

"Now, Needledawn, there's a bit of bleeding, but you should be okay," he meowed, his words meant for Shadestar, who looked ready to fight to battle for her. "Your kits might be smaller than normal, but I've had queens kit earlier than you have." The gray tom looked reassuringly into her eyes. "This will hurt, Frecklelight go find a stick or a bit of reed, something she can bite on."

The spotted she-cat darted out of the entrance and returned with a sturdy looking reed.

"One more push," Goosesight encouraged.

Needledawn felt a small bundle slip out by her tail.

"A tom!"

* * *

"Aren't they perfect?" Needledawn purred to Shadestar. Three kits, a black she-kit, a gray tom, and a silver tabby she-kit with gray paws were suckling at her belly.

She hated to admit it, but Stormlight was right. The pain had dissolved, replaced by pure joy.

"What shall we name them?" Shadestar whispered, crouching down beside his quivering mate.

"I want to name the tom after you," she murmured. "Cloudkit," she announced, placing her paw on his head.

"Then we'll name a she-kit after you," Shadestar replied.

Needledawn purred. He was so easy to predict. "How about Pinekit for the black she-kit?" she suggested, hoping he'd agree.

"That's absolutely perfect," he breathed. "And the silver tabby should be… Lightkit."

"I love that," Needledawn agreed. "Cloudkit, Pinekit, and Lightkit."

She looked around, feeling so blessed that she finally had what she had always hoped for— a family.

"I'll always love you," she whispered to her kits, laying her head down to go to sleep, "Always."

* * *

Duskblossom could not believe she was going along with Cinderbird's plan. The gray she-cat was still plodding determinedly in front of her, in search of their Clanmate.

"We saw him head this direction, right?" Cinderbird checked, looking worried that they were going the wrong way.

"Yes," Duskblossom sighed, after her sister had asked that for the tenth time. But who's counting?

As they scrambled over another rock, Duskblossom wondered if they were going in circles. She wanted to suggest that to her sister, but she knew that Cinderbird would deny it, and harden up for the rest of the journey.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Cinderbird called, glancing over her shoulder towards her sister.

"You're the one that's leading!" Duskblossom spat, and Cinderbird stopped to face her.

"Well, I'm so sorry," Cinderbird snapped, "I'll just blindly lead, then. Just trying to make sure we're going in the right direction."

"The blind leading the blind," Duskblossom sneered uncharacteristically.

"Why don't you go back then?" Cinderbird exploded.

"I wish I could, but you _blindly _led us out to the middle of nowhere!"

"Cinderbird?" A shaky voice called.

The two gray she-cats both turned and saw a red tom heading towards them.

"Foxclaw?" Cinderbird gasped, rushing towards him.

The handsome red tom tenderly touched noses with her and she led him back to Duskblossom.

"What are you two doing out here? Is Daypaw with you?" Foxclaw asked.

Duskblossom saw a glimmer of jealousy flicker in Cinderbird's eyes at the mention of Daypaw.

"No, but we saw you heading out of the mountains, and we knew we had to come and save you!" Cinderbird exclaimed.

Duskblossom snorted at 'we.' More like Cinderbird forced her to come and save him.

"Where's every cat?" Foxclaw inquired, still gazing at Cinderbird.

"They don't actually know we're out here, rescuing you," Cinderbird sheepishly explained.

"We had to leave undercover so the Tribe wouldn't know we were trying to find you," Duskblossom put in.

Foxclaw nodded seriously. "That's why the DarkClan cats took me. The Tribe leader, whatever his name is, sent a message to Plumleaf, their medicine cat. He said that his 'cave-guards' would come and destroy DarkClan if they didn't bring a red tom." He rolled his eyes. "And you can guess what that means."

"That means that you have to come with us," a sickly sweet voice meowed.

The three cats whirled around, and Duskblossom expected to see a Grace, but the cat standing in front of them was Stream.

* * *

**Happy late Easter! I hope you guys had a good one, even though we're all stuck inside. My friend and I took eggs to little kid's yards and hid them there, so that was super fun. :D Right now it's snowing here, so it's pretty hard getting used to that after 80˚F weather. **

**I had to put in a Needledawn POV, so voila! She finally had her kits. I was going to have her die in childbirth, or kit birth, but really didn't want to do that to her, so I changed my mind. The Clan cats should be out of the mountains soon, most likely because I'm getting tired writing about the mountains, even though we still have to rescue Day. **

**Happy late Easter! "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." - Matthew 28:6. And happy reading! Please fave, review, add me to your alerts, whatever you want to do! Now bye, I'm going to make myself a ****sandwich.**

**-Poppyfrost123**


	21. Chapter 20

Cinderbird was sick and tired of being escorted to camps like a wandering kitten caught outside camp. Stream had a smug look on her face, and it was all Cinderbird could do not to scratch it off.

She saw Duskblossom take a deep breath, and Cinderbird figured that Duskblossom was either mad at Stream for flirting with Rippleshade, or mad at Cinderbird for letting them get caught. Cinderbird could only imagine Berryoak's disapproval, Cloudfish's frown, and Daypaw's scorn that they were caught. Wherever Daypaw was. Foxclaw had said he thought she was right behind him, but the gray apprentice was nowhere to be seen.

Duskblossom's eyes seemed to light up with an idea. Cinderbird glanced at her sister, who flicked her ears at Foxclaw, and then back at Stream. Cinderbird understood. Stream was outnumbered, even though the silver she-cat was a huge cave-guard, sometimes _skill_ can beat strength. Cinderbird nudged Foxclaw, flicking her tail towards Stream. Foxclaw nodded and he situated himself into a battle crouch.

Duskblossom let out a cry as if she stepped onto a sharp rock and Stream turned back to the Clan cats who were waiting for her.

"What are you doing?" Stream grunted as they threw themselves at her. "I'm helping you!"

Cinderbird stopped. "What?"

"Of course I'm helping you. Foxclaw will save the Tribe! We need him."

"That's not helping us!" Duskblossom exclaimed, looking at the silver tabby like she was stupid.

"Foxclaw will be sent to his death if you ask him to save the Tribe," Cinderbird added.

Stream's eyes glittered nervously. "It's the will of the Tribe of Endless Hunting," she mewed, looking small and unimportant.

Cinderbird scoffed. "Write your own story."

Foxclaw crouched and snarled, "This is pointless."

He jumped on the silver tabby, digging his claws into her back. Stream let out a shriek and fell to the ground. She tried to get back up and defend herself, but she was tiny compared to the fox-red tom.

Duskblossom stared at the fighting cats in shock, she hadn't expected the fight to escalate so quickly. Foxclaw landed a hard blow to Stream's head, and the she-cat slowly wilted to the ground.

"Right, that's taken care of. That'll give us some time before she wakes up again."

Duskblossom and Cinderbird exchanged a glance and shrugged.

"What's the plan?" Duskblossom asked.

"You'll go in and secretly tell the others you found me," Foxclaw suggested, "Cinderbird will stay with me and the Tribe will think you're looking for her or Daypaw, for that matter. StarClan willing, the plan works and we'll be out of these wretched mountains."

"Stream said the Tribe needed you," Cinderbird murmured, thinking hard, "What if the Tribe of Endless Hunting somehow forces you to stay. We know how StarClan works," she mewed, looking at her Clanmates, "What if their ancestors work the same way? They just want what's best for their Tribe."

"And we're doing what's best for IceClan," Foxclaw promised.

Cinderbird still remained skeptical. _Or is he doing what's best for him?_

Life trapped by the Graces had changed him. He wasn't the same loving cat before. Cinderbird hoped that going back home and life returning to normal would somehow change him back.

She could see that in Duskblossom's blue eyes she felt the same. What had the Graces done to him?

* * *

"So how are we going to get out of this wretched place?" Daypaw asked Autumn. "Are there any other cats here?"

The tortoiseshell shook her head. "All of the Graces are too much of a coward to face Thalia, but there may be a way out."

Daypaw glanced up. Their prison was a small cave, with the only way in or out a hole in the ceiling.

"Is that how we got in?" Daypaw asked, nodding towards the shaft.

Autumn nodded. "And that's the only way out."

"Well, surely we can climb up."

"You don't understand, do you? These walls are slick from water filling them up. That's why there's no other cats here. The water drowns them before they even have a chance to get out," Autumn darkly explained.

"Can we get out when the water fills the cave?" Daypaw asked, remembering her status as an IceClan cat.

"Only if you can swim," Autumn dryly chuckled, "And there's not much practice you can get here."

"It's okay," Daypaw insisted, "I'm a swimming cat! My Clan— that's what we do!"

"And if you can survive long enough to reach the top, the ceiling will probably crush you," Autumn tried to discourage her.

"It's worth a shot," Daypaw declared, "When's the next rain?"

"Probably tomorrow," Autumn shuddered, knowing her time was near.

"We can do it!" Daypaw announced, "And no Grace can tell us we can't!"

Autumn looked at the apprentice disbelievingly. "You're really going to try to do it?"

Daypaw nodded. Sure, she wasn't the greatest swimmer, but she could easily tread.

"And I can teach you!" Daypaw told her. "It's just like running! You use your tail for balance and you…move your paws."

So, she wasn't the greatest teacher in the world. Autumn could tell, she kept casting skeptical looks at Daypaw, who was trying to demonstrate in the terrible lighting.

"This is useless," Autumn declared, and flopped on her side after multiple tries.

"Hey," Daypaw nudged her with her nose, "Don't give up! We _can _do this, I know we can!"

Autumn groaned and repeated, "This is useless."

"Yeah, I know you've definitely told me that," Daypaw reminded her, "But it's okay. It's better than a freshly killed trout. Oh StarClan, a trout sounds so good. Ooh, or a pike," she moaned.

Autumn shot a 'should I be worried?' look at Daypaw's quickly escalated conversation with herself.

"Ahem," Autumn cleared her throat pointedly.

"Oh sorry. Did I mention how much I love fish?" Daypaw rambled. "And Fo—"

"Hey, snap out of it!" Autumn growled, "Sure, this stupid cave makes you go crazy, but at least contain it!"

Daypaw straightened.

_I was going crazy? _

* * *

Mistbriar barked out orders at Sagepond, who was staring at the pretty deputy.

"Hey, Sagepond! If you're going to look endlessly at something, make it ticks! The elders need their bedding changed, too," Mistbriar sweetly ordered.

The black-and-white tom nodded dreamily at her.

_My StarClan, who can I set him up with? Ooh, what about… Flickershine! Yeah, I can see them together, _she conceded.

"Flickershine!" she called, yelling at the dozing she-cat. "Sagepond is out getting mouse-bile. You can go get moss."

The black she-cat glared at her for interrupting her sleep, but nevertheless, bounded out of the camp in search of moss.

"Mistbriar!" Silverrose trotted up to her friend. "I have some news."

The deputy stared at the silver she-cat. "Yes?" she awaited eagerly.

"I think I'm expecting kits!" Silverrose announced.

"Oh StarClan, er, Sagepond isn't the father, is he?" Mistbriar nervously checked. After all, if he was, she had just tried to set him up.

"What? Of course not!" Silverrose exclaimed, excitement and fear in her voice. "Wha- we don't even spend time together."

"Who's the father, then?" Mistbriar interrogated her.

"I'll give you a hint. He's off on a journey," Silverrose tried to keep in her secret, but desperately failed, for excitement was taking over her eyes.

Mistbriar gasped. "Really? Oh, that's amazing!" She knew exactly the cat.

"You think he'll be happy?" Silverrose asked anxiously.

"Trust me, Cloudfish will be ecstatic," she reassured her.

* * *

**Rando review time!  
****Mintflight0245- Ahh, thank you so much! I love Foxclaw, too. My only regret with him is that I didn't make his name more interesting XD (And, ooh, that sandwich was ****goooood. i had another one today, too. Peanut butter and jelly all the way!) **

**Milkdudaddict- Oh, thank you! That means a lot, but your favorite author should be Erin! She's WAAAAaaAAAAAy better than me. PS I love MILKDUDS, too! **

**Grayshadow Warrior- thanks so much for your review! lol, I did the random name picker like you suggested, and I got (CENSORED). I think imma go with that. Maybe. ArGh I dOn'T kNoW ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

**Yup, and as predicted, snow was on the ground today! My gosh, can the weather make up its mind? Hopefully, next chapter we'll be out of the mountains, but hey, do I have a writing plan? nO! (i totally should have had a writing plan) **

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Review! Thanks for reading, hope you like the story, and Happy (new year?) reading! **

**-Poppyfrost123 :)**


	22. Chapter 21

"Cinderbird! Cinderbird, I-I can't find her anywhere!" Duskblossom wailed to Berryoak.

Of course that statement wasn't true, but the patrol didn't know that. And more importantly, the Tribe didn't know the truth.

Berryoak tried to calm the smoky gray she-cat down, but Duskblossom refused to be calm. Her sister was 'missing' for StarClan's sake!

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he soothed, "Now, when did you last see her?"

"I-I," she gulped, trying to get the words out. She took a deep breath and allowed her fur to lay back down. "We were on a patrol and I heard a thud. I turned around and she was gone."

"You were on patrol a long time ago," Eagle meowed skeptically, padding towards the cats.

"And I've been trying to find her since!" Duskblossom shot back, her eyes wide open in fake worry.

"It's okay, we'll find her," Berryoak desperately tried to calm her down. "Now, is it okay," he faced the Tribe, "If I lead my cats out to go find her? Duskblossom really shouldn't be left like this. She'll worry her fur off if she can."

"Y-yeah, of course," Eagle stammered, with a look of concern at the still wailing she-cat, "You take all the time you need. I can't handle she-cats," he muttered under his breath.

Duskblossom had to resist a cry of triumph. It was all too tempting.

"Can I come?" Thunder padded up, casting a sympathetic glance at her.

_Oh fish dung, Thunder. You just ruined the plan. _

Berryoak opened his mouth to answer, probably to say yes, but Duskblossom cut in, "No, we're okay. But thanks anyway!"

Eagle cast a suspicious look at her.

"W-we don't want to attract eagles, do we?" Duskblossom quickly added.

Eagle nodded, his eyes narrowing to a slit.

"Come on, we have to hurry! She might have gotten kidnapped by the Graces, or a hawk could have got her, or—"

"All right, let's go," Berryoak cut her off, motioning for Cloudfish, Rippleshade, and Gingerpaw to follow him.

Duskblossom waited until they were definitely out of earshot of the Tribe before turning and speaking to her Clanmates. She flicked her ear towards a scraggly bush, and two cats, one gray and one red, jumped out.

"Cinderbird, Foxclaw!" Cloudfish exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down," Foxclaw hissed.

"So, she's not really missing?" Berryoak meowed, casting a wry smile at Duskblossom.

"Not at all," Duskblossom smugly replied, dipping her head.

"Nice plan," Gingerpaw congratulated her.

"Now, we need to get Daypaw," Foxclaw reminded them. "Any ideas?"

"Knowing Daypaw, she already has an escape plan," Cinderbird muttered.

"She could be right," Berryoak pointed out, "And we don't know where the Graces are keeping her, if the Graces have her at all. A hawk could have gotten her."

Foxclaw glared at the cream tom. "I refuse to believe she's dead. She's my apprentice, for StarClan's sake!"

Cloudfish had an intense gaze, his crystal blue eyes thinking hard. "What if… What if we got someone on the inside?"

An idea struck Duskblossom. She glanced at Rippleshade and she knew they had the same thought.

"Estelle!" they exclaimed at the same time, one voice excited and the other cool and collected.

"I don't know, she seems pretty loyal," Berryoak murmured doubtfully.

"We could always try," Rippleshade pointed out.

"You do that," Berryoak responded sarcastically, "Now, any other plans?"

Duskblossom saw Rippleshade's gaze go hard, and she knew that no matter what, he was going on with the plan. She pressed against his silver pelt and nodded to him. The cats kept on discussing, but her eyes were only for him. The world whirled until the only thing she could see was his beautiful blue eyes, gazing down at her. She didn't notice the brown tabby tom sitting in the shadows, his blue eyes filled with hurt. If she was paying attention, she would have recognized the Tribe scent.

* * *

"Duskblossom," a whisper sounded by her ear.

The smoky gray she-cat lifted her head sleepily and a silver tom sat in front of her, licking his paw.

"Hmm?" she yawned.

"Come on, we have to find Estelle," Rippleshade reminded her.

She nodded and jumped out of her makeshift nest. The patrol had made camp in the shelter of a boulder, and Rippleshade and Duskblossom would have no trouble finding it when they got back. The weather was cold and rainy, and it would be a difficult journey to get to the Grace's camp and back before the others noticed.

"I'm coming," she shook out her pelt and trotted after the tom.

"You lead," he breathed, "I don't know where the camp is."

As she quickly took the lead, she quivered as their pelts brushed past each other.

"It's this way."

They padded as fast as they could in the rain towards the camp. Duskblossom quickly recognized the ominous cave and she led him down to it. A sound like rushing water caught her attention.

"Did you hear that?" she hissed to Rippleshade.

He pricked his silver ears. "Hear what?"

A coughing sound made her turn. "We made it!" A cat yowled.

"What was that?" he asked, prowling towards the sound and stepping in front of Duskblossom. "Who's there?" he called into the darkness.

A tortoiseshell and a smaller gray cat weakly walked out to meet them. Their fur was soaked and the tortoiseshell had a gash on her flank. They were both coughing up water.

"Daypaw?" Duskblossom cried.

The gray cat turned to her and blinked her eyes open in amazement. "Duskblossom! Rippleshade!" she turned to her companion and meowed, "Autumn, these are my Clanmates."

Daypaw rushed towards them happily, her tail sticking straight in the air.

"Were you coming to rescue me?" she asked.

"Well, not exactly, but we were coming to try and find a way to save you," Duskblossom purred.

"And you should know, she-cats don't need saving," Daypaw sniffed, "Only toms need to be." She was clearly referring to Foxclaw.

Duskblossom let out a _mrrow _of amusement.

* * *

Rain was pouring into the cave. Daypaw exchanged a frightened look with Autumn as the cave filled up. Even as an IceClan cat, she shivered as black water lapped at her chest.

_Is this going to be the end? _

The water was now by her nose, and the apprentice allowed herself to be carried by the water. Autumn still refused to swim, the tortoiseshell lifted her head desperately.

"Autumn, you're going to have to swim," Daypaw told her.

"I-I can't," she choked.

"Yes, you can," Daypaw assured her. "It'll be okay."

"No, it won't!"

The black, murky water was rising still, Autumn's head was bobbing with the movement and Daypaw furiously paddled.

The gray apprentice turned as she heard a quick gasp cut off.

"Autumn?"

The tortiousehshell was nowhere to be seen. Daypaw took a deep breath and plunged into the water, trying to open her eyes against the force of the water that was to be their doom. Opening her eyes, she saw Autumn sinking into the water. Daypaw dove, swimming strongly, trying to defy gravity and get to her friend. By now her eyes were stinging, bubbles emerging from her nose. She reached out with her paws and grasped the larger cat, trying to pull her up from the disaster.

Her chest about to explode, Daypaw looked up and swam as quickly as she could, trying to get to air before either cat ran out of breath. The cloudy sky and rock walls were becoming closer. She burst from the water, water streaming from her whiskers and her face, taking deep breaths and laughing with relief.

"We made it!" she meowed, dragging Autumn out of their prison.

The tortoiseshell looked bleakly at Daypaw before coughing up rivers of water.

"Who's there?" A deep voice asked.

Daypaw felt a flash of fear. Were the Graces about to throw them straight back into the "escape-less" cave?

A silver tom was standing protectively in front of a smoky gray she-cat.

"Daypaw?" The gray she-cat asked incredulously.

Daypaw felt a rush of relief, while Autumn stared at the strangers nervously.

"Duskblossom!" Daypaw yowled. "Rippleshade!"

Autumn looked even more uncomfortable among the cats, licking her scratch on the side of her flank.

"Autumn, these are my Clanmates," she told her.

She ran towards the two cats, purring loudly.

"Were you coming to rescue me?"

"Well, not exactly, but we were coming to try and find a way to save you," Duskblossom answered, delight sparkling in her eyes.

"And you should know, she-cats don't need saving," Daypaw let out a _mrrow _of amusement, "Only toms need to be."

* * *

**Well, sorry it's taken FOREVERish to get this chapter up, but I was busy. Doing nothing, of course XD**

**And, like I guessed, we're still not out of the mountains. I know I've said this about a thousand times, but _hopefully, _next chapter we'll be out of the mountains. Hopefully. Anyway, rando review time!**

**Peaklog3727- haha sorry! Maybe she will, maybe she won't :D **

**Mintflight0245- aww, thank you so much! That really means a lot. And you're a great writer, too! And I know, writer's block SUCKS, but you'll eventually get your inspiration back. And when you do, your stories will be amazing! And I _definitely _enjoyed my sandwich, haha thanks. (and had another one the next day ;P) #sandwichcrazy**

**Thank you SO much for reading, and please review! Happy reading! **


	23. Chapter 22

"We have to get back to the others," Duskblossom reminded them.

"Foxclaw?" Daypaw started hesitantly. "Is-is he okay?"

"Yeah, he made his way back to us," Duskblossom reassured her.

Daypaw let out a sigh of relief, "Thank StarClan."

Duskblossom looked at her closely. She sensed there was a connection between them, deeper than a mentor and apprentice relationship.

"You remember how we came over here?" Duskblossom asked Rippleshade.

The silver tom hesitated and shook his head. Panic flashed through Duskblossom's body.

"I can help with that," a quiet mew told her.

Autumn wove her way to the front, looking shy in front of all of the strangers.

"Are-are you sure?" Duskblossom asked in surprise.

The tortoiseshell nodded. "Of course. Daypaw saved my life. It's the least I can do."

"Okay, lead the way," Rippleshade ordered.

Autumn nodded nervously, tasting the air before leading them towards a small pool. The sun was rising, creating a canvas for the sun to paint. Streaks of red and pink were being thrown across the sky and Duskblossom felt a stab of sadness and homesickness. She missed IceClan and Needledawn. Suddenly, Autumn let out a gasp.

"What is it?" Rippleshade asked, bounding up the rock to see. "Oh no," he muttered, glancing back at Duskblossom.

"What is it?" A pang shook her and she jumped up next to him.

She could see Berryoak, Cinderbird, Cloudfish and Gingerpaw surrounded by Tribe cats. Foxclaw was nowhere to be seen and Duskblossom could only hope that the Tribe hadn't gotten to him yet.

Eagle's lips were drawn back in a snarl and what looked like all of the cave-guards were with him. She could see Stream, the traitorous she-cat made her lip curl. Thunder was there, as well, glancing around for a familiar face.

Anger in his eyes, Duskblossom could tell Rippleshade's gaze was on the silver tabby she-cat.

"We have to help them," she choked.

"We will," he promised, and guilt flashed in his eyes; if the two cats hadn't have tried to find Daypaw, they might have been able to carry on, preventing the Tribe from finding them.

"I swear, if they have Foxclaw…" Daypaw growled, launching herself from their peak.

"Daypaw!" Duskblossom shrieked, watching the apprentice plummet.

The cats below looked up at the scream, and Daypaw surprised Eagle by landing on him.

"Wha—" he spluttered, trying to dislodge the gray cat.

Daypaw spat, writhing, and digging her claws into the gray tabby tom's back. Cinderbird looked surprised and Berryoak took the opportunity to attack Stream, as the she-cat was closest to him. Rippleshade yowled in satisfaction and hurled himself into the fight. Cloudfish rushed forward and took out another cave-guard, whirling around in a flash of white for the next cat. Duskblossom leaped into the mass, landing squarely on another cave-guard's shoulders. Looking up, Autumn was still perched on their peak, and Duskblossom silently willed her to join the battle. The red patches on Autumn's flank shone as she hesitantly picked her way down the cliff.

_That'll work. _

Autumn jumped on a gray prey-hunter, fury sparkling in her green eyes.

"Remember me?" she snarled.

The prey-hunter looked up and froze in shock. "A-Autumn?"

"That's right," she hissed.

He stumbled and fell, and she leaped for his throat. Daypaw raced from across the clearing and meowed, "Autumn, you promised!"

Autumn glared at the apprentice, unsheathing her claws. "I promised not to hurt his mate, not him."

"No, you can't," Daypaw cried.

"I-I found the kits," the prey-hunter choked out.

"W-what?" she asked, "Are they okay?"

He shook his head. "A wolf got them," he whispered.

Autumn's eyes hardened. "This is all the Grace's fault!" she snarled.

She lunged for the tom again, but Daypaw, quick as a snake, pushed the tom out of the way. Blood welled in her chest as Autumn's claws pierced it.

"No!" Autumn cried, quickly sheathing her claws after she realized what she had done.

A red flash streaked from an enclave and Duskblossom looked up to see Foxclaw racing from his hiding place. The cats stopped fighting as he ran towards Daypaw.

"The red cat," The Tribe cats whispered, gazing at their savior with awe.

"Daypaw!" he yowled. He turned to Autumn. "What have you done?"

The tortoiseshell bowed her head in shame. "I'm so, so sorry. This was never meant to happen."

Foxclaw cast one more glare at her before returning his gaze to Daypaw, lapping at her wounds. "Hey," he meowed gently, "It's going to be okay. We can fix you up."

Daypaw gazed at him. "I know. I'll be okay, too. I know it…" she murmured as darkness took over her.

Foxclaw looked at her in shock. "She's not dead, is she?"

"I don't know," Duskblossom bounded up to his side, "She might just be unconscious. With everything that's happened, she hasn't gotten a good sleep in forever. It might've all caught up to her, with the wound and everything." She shot an uncomfortable glance at Autumn.

Cinderbird bounded over, her eyes wide with shock. "What happened?" she gasped.

Foxclaw didn't respond, his eyes still on Daypaw. Hurt welled up in Cinderbird's eyes as the red tom fixed his eyes on the gray apprentice and nothing else.

* * *

Daypaw opened her eyes, blinded by the shining light. There were cats everywhere, with starry pelts and bright eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked, inspecting the cats.

"Little one, you are in StarClan," A gray tom told her, his deep mew rumbling.

"Stoneclaw?" Daypaw gasped, rushing towards her father. "Am I dead?"

"No, not yet," he blinked at her.

"Not yet?" she inquired.

"You are on the line of life and death," he softly explained. "You should be dead, but because of your bravery, saving a cat you barely knew, StarClan is considering giving you another chance."

She looked down at her body. Her pelt was well-groomed and her paws shone with stars. "Where is my living body?" she asked.

Stoneclaw pointed with his paw, "Down there."

She peered and saw a battered cat, with many cats surrounding it. Foxclaw was one of them, his eyes alight with pain.

"When can I go back?" Daypaw asked her father.

"I'm not sure. You weren't supposed to die, but if you hadn't saved Reed, he would be in the Tribe of Endless Hunting right now."

"Oh," she murmured, casting a sorrowful glance at Foxclaw. Thinking of him, she meowed, "Is he supposed to fulfill the Tribe's property?"

Her father shook his head. "No, but it is the destiny of another Clan cat to do that. He's here, don't worry."

She looked harder and saw a smaller red cat. "Gingerpaw!" A flash of fondness went through her.

"Yes," he agreed. "Gingerpaw is the chosen cat. The Tribe just doesn't know it yet."

"Will he survive it?"

"It will all be okay," he soothed, licking her ear.

"Please, StarClan," she whispered, "Let me go back."

* * *

**So just imagine me, gritting my teeth and my eye twitching, yelling, "Ugh! We're not out of the mountains yet!" **

**Yup, that's my mood right now. I am so, so sorry, but MAYBE we'll be out next chapter. I'm crossing my fingers as I ****type, which is actually ridiculously hard to do. Who would've thunk? **

**Anyhoo, review time! **

**Mintflight0245- I'm so glad you have your inspiration back! I actually read your last chapter and it's really good! Looking forward to more ;). And yup, I had a grilled cheese sandwich yesterday soo *high five* Hope your sandwich was good ;) Thank you so much for your review! I love Foxclaw, too!**

**Peaklog3727- okay, can I just mention how much fun it is to type your username? XD Yeah, I feel sorry for Thunder to, buut he had it coming. **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ **Thanks for your review, and I'm kicking myself for not thinking of doing that! I so should have, y'know, made her do that. That was smart. But, it was an act, and I think they knew claws would come out if they told any cat. XD**

**Well, thanks for reviews, they really do help me write, and please review some more! I went "camping" in my backyard yesterday, and that was really fun! (minus the fact I got two hours of sleep because it was so cold and coyotes were howling and woke up at 5:27) Buut... BACON is always worth it. Ok, bye! Hope you liked the chapter and happy reading! **

**-Poppyfrost123 3**


	24. Chapter 23

"But when can I go back to my body?" Daypaw asked, gazing at her father.

The StarClan warrior shook his head. "We don't know. It's up to the StarClan leaders to decide."

She shook out her fur, impatient. "That tells me nothing," she complained.

"Young one," A voice mewed, "We have decided."

She whipped around to see a blue-gray starry warrior. Dipping her head in respect, she murmured, "Thank you for giving me the chance."

"You deserve it, dear one," The StarClan warrior told her, "I, too, died saving a cat, but the cat I saved was a Clanmate. You saved a stranger who had tried to use the cat you loved. That is pure _goodness_."

"Thank you," she whispered in awe.

"I am Bluestar," she meowed, "My Clanmates are not from your Clans, but from far, far, away. Graystripe, you remember him, was from my Clan."

"ThunderClan," Daypaw remembered.

"Yes," Bluestar nodded, "And I have traveled far to see you, Daypaw."

"I'm honored," Daypaw murmured.

"And the leaders of your Clans have decided. You will be able to go back to IceClan, and complete your mission. That is, if you'd like to. You can stay here if you want."

Daypaw glanced at her father. Pain and love was shining in his eyes. "I'd like to go back," Daypaw announced.

"Very well," Bluestar closed her eyes. "I wish you luck."

"Thank you," Daypaw told her sincerely.

"Follow me," The ThunderClan leader called over her shoulder, bounding off.

Daypaw touched noses with her father and followed Bluestar. The blue-gray she-cat was heading towards a pool. Daypaw could see her body with cats clustered around it.

"Before you go into the pool," Bluestar meowed at the apprentice, "I'm going to ask you to give Graystripe a message. Tell him to head towards the sun, over the mountains. Not these mountains, but mountains far away. After that, he'll know where to go."

Daypaw nodded, and bunched up her haunches to leap into the pool. "Thank you," she purred, and ascended into the water, feeling life hit her whiskers.

"Daypaw!" Foxclaw cried as she gasped, her blue eyes opening.

She purred as she felt droplets scatter from her whiskers. "I'm okay, I told you I would be."

Scrambling to her paws, she was face-to-face with Autumn, the cat whose claw marks were on her chest.

"I'm so sorry," Autumn began.

"It's okay," Daypaw interrupted.

"Thank you," Autumn dipped her head.

"W-were you dead?" Duskblossom asked curiously.

"StarClan gave me another chance," Daypaw explained softly, her gaze still on Foxclaw.

"They can do that?" Cloudfish inquired, confused.

Daypaw nodded. "Apparently."

She turned to Cinderbird, and the gray she-cat met her gaze awkwardly. "I'm glad you're okay," she mewed to Daypaw stiffly.

"Thanks," she replied, twitching her ears. "When are we leaving this StarClan forsaken place?"

"As soon as we can," Berryoak reassured her.

"Not so fast!" A commanding yowl contradicted them.

Daypaw looked up and saw Eagle, the cave-guard, leaping onto a peak above him.

"What do you even need from us?" Berryoak asked, rolling his eyes.

"Him," Eagle replied, waving his tail high over his head.

_It's a signal! _

Opening her mouth to warn her Clanmates, Daypaw was tossed aside by another cave-guard, she recognized Peak Covered by Snow. Peak tried to claw at her belly, but Daypaw rolled quickly out of the way, jumping up to face him. She weaved in front of the black tom, swatting at his nose, playfully, and Gingerpaw jumped him from behind. His dark red pelt glowed in the morning light and Daypaw was sure some cat would notice it.

"Foxclaw!" Cinderbird shrieked, warning the tom.

Eagle was stalking forward towards the red tom, with a dangerous glint in his eyes. At Cinderbird's warning, he turned, claws sliding out, to face the cave-guard leader.

Stream noiselessly crept up behind Foxclaw, but the tom didn't see her. Daypaw desperately tried to call out a warning, but Peak had his paw pressed against her throat. All that came out was a small squeak. A flash of red caught her eye. Another cat had seen Foxclaw in danger. Gingerpaw streaked from across the clearing to come to his rescue.

_No, oh, no! _

The cats didn't know that Foxclaw wasn't the prophesied cat, Gingerpaw was. If the Tribe got ahold of the apprentice…

Gingerpaw furiously clawed at Stream, blood welling up from her scratches. As soon as she turned to face her attacker and saw the bright red tom, she exchanged a glance with Eagle. The cave-guard nodded. They knew.

Daypaw tried to pry away from Peak, but the tom's claws pinned her down. She felt like the battle was all a blur, like this was a dream unfolding. She felt like nothing was really happening, but alas, it was. Going limp under Peak's paws, she felt the black tom relax and she shot up, shaking him off. Sprinting towards Gingerpaw and Foxclaw, she knew she wouldn't get there in time. Eagle was already lunging towards the red apprentice, grabbing him by the scruff. Gingerpaw flailed, whipping his paws in an attempt to escape.

"Gingerpaw!" Foxclaw meowed, trying to come to his rescue, ironically, because the apprentice was only held captive because he was trying to rescue Foxclaw.

The red tom struck Stream once more before trying to attack Eagle, but the cave-guard was much larger than the trained warrior. Daypaw finally reached Gingerpaw, but was thrown off by Eagle. Daypaw tumbled down into the valley where the other cats were fighting and she looked up to see Eagle bounding off with Gingerpaw in his jaws.

_No…. _Daypaw felt sick. With the Tribe having the prophesied cat, only StarClan knows what they can do.

* * *

Stream yowled with satisfaction as she saw her Tribemate snatch the red cat.

_Now we can save the Tribe! _she thought in satisfaction.

Bounding after him with a smug look at the other red tom, she remembered his name was Foxclaw, she felt a glimmer of sympathy for the silver tom, Rippleshade. She had led him on, by Eagle's orders, and had broken his heart. She shrugged. It was her only choice. She'd been in love with Eagle for moons, but the cave-guard simply shrugged her off like a foolish to-be.

"Eagle!" Stream called, "Wait up!"

The same blush of embarrassment flashed to her cheeks as soon as she was a hare-length away from the handsome tom.

"You think Stoneteller will be pleased?" she asked, batting her lashes at him.

He merely grunted in reply. Hollow disappointment filled her up like a pool in the Time of Freed Water. The Clan cat dangling from his jaws gave her a limp smile and blood trickled out of his mouth.

"Eagle!" Bubbles Covering Stream meowed in shock, "He's hurt!"

The big gray tabby tom roughly dropped the savior to the ground to inspect him. Ignoring the flow of blood from the young cat's chest, Eagle sniffed and replied, "He's fine."

"What's your name?" Stream asked the red tom gently.

"Gingerpaw," he coughed, wariness in his eyes and blood running from his mouth.

"We need to get him to Stoneteller," she reminded her Tribemate, turning to find him staring off into the distance.

Eagle turned abruptly and snatched the cat back up again, a pool of red liquid forming where Gingerpaw had rested.

_Will he even make it to Stoneteller? _Stream wondered grimly. _Whether he's a Clan cat or not, we need him! _

The Graces had been causing trouble for moons. Stealing prey, raiding the caught-prey pile, and wrecking havoc. Maybe the savior would fix their problems.

The camp of the Tribe of Falling Snow was drawing near. The savior would be able to fix all of their problems, Stream assured herself. Sighing, she entered their camp, and abruptly ran into Eagle's haunches. The gray tom had stopped. She peered past him.

"What happened?" Stream whispered.

Cats were laying injured on the floor of the cave, wailing in pain. Some were unrecognizable, they were bloody and battered. A white cat stained by blood padded up to them. Stoneteller.

"Where have you been?" Stoneteller hissed.

Eagle dipped his head, guilt flashing in his eyes. He sat down Gingerpaw and meowed, "We went to retrieve the savior."

"And you didn't stop to think that you would leave the Tribe vulnerable? The Graces are still a problem! You didn't think that they might have retaliated?"

Stream stepped forward. "We got the savior," she mewed limply, nodding at Gingerpaw.

"This isn't the savior!" Stoneteller snapped, "He's too….puny. How is a cat like him going to save us?"

"No," Stream insisted, "He is. Trust us."

"How can I trust you when my finest cave-guard left without permission? Along with a she-cat whose love has blinded her!"

Heat rose to Stream's cheeks as Eagle glanced at her.

"That's not true!" Stream protested.

"If that's not true, then what is?" Stoneteller sighed, a distant look appearing in his eyes.

* * *

**Heyy! Rando review time! Btw, as you read this, imagine me crying into my hands because WE'RE STILL NOT OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS!**

**Grayshadow Warrior- Heyyy! Yeah, I can't kill off Daypaw! *dark, deep voice* at least not yet! Muahahaha! And I'm really looking forward to Gingerpaw's development as well. Thank you so much for reviewing and might I add that I love "When Gray Gets Bored" That was amazing. **

**MedicineCatsRule- Any review is important, trust me! It means a lot to me that you take time out of you day just to leave a review! And, for the record, that's really impressive how fast you read :P. Thank you so much for reviewing!**

**Mintflight0245- Guess what? I had a sandwich today! Haha, I was going to have chicky nuggets, but I was like, No, I'm posting today. I have to have a ****sandwich! My gosh, you're right. Peanut butter is just amazing. Whoever invented PBJ was a genius! (Also, I looked it up. :P It was Julia Davis Chandler) S/O to Paul Welch for creating jelly, Marcellus Gilmore Edson for creating peanut butter, and Otto Frederick Rohwedder for creating the bread slicing machine! And HOPEFULLY Gingerpaw won't get killed. I don't even know the ending to this story. **

**Also, in case you were wondering, which I'm sure you weren't, I learned a new fact yesterday! As I'm sure you know, you can't see Vampires in mirrors, because old mirrors were backed with silver. BUUUT, modern mirrors use aluminum for the reflective backing, so YAYYY! We can see Vampires in mirrors! Y'know, just in case you were wondering :P **

**Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed the story and happy reading! **

**~Poppyfrost123**


	25. Chapter 24

"Tribemates!"

Snow That Gathers In Clouds looked up to see Eagle bounding out of Stoneteller's den.

"We have found the savior!" Eagle announced, looking pleased with himself.

Stream followed timidly, looking with admiration at the gray tabby tom. The to-be rolled her eyes as she saw the silver tabby gush over him _again._ A small ginger tom followed both of them out, his eyes on the ground.

_That's the savior? _Snow wrinkled her nose.

"Snow!"

She looked up and saw her brother rushing towards her.

"This is our chance!" Storm hissed under his breath. "This-this savior; he could be our chance to get out of here! Maybe the Tribe of Endless Hunting sent him for us!"

Snow huffed. "I really doubt our _ancestors _sent him. He's the savior! He's not going to save two little to-bes!"

Storm opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by Eagle's yowling.

"Snow!" The cave-guard summoned her.

Shooting a glare at her brother, the pure white she-cat padded towards Eagle.

"It is now your responsibility to care for the savior," Eagle told her. "Take care of him and cater to his needs."

Snow nodded and groaned inwardly. The savior met her gaze and she was mesmerized by the deepness of his green eyes. She blushed as he looked away and gestured to the red tom and he followed her, a glint in his eyes. Somehow, he seemed familiar. He wasn't the other red tom they had seen before, but she knew she'd seen him…

"Gingerpaw?" Snow exclaimed quietly, careful not to disrupt the meeting, "You're the savior?"

The tom nodded meekly. "I guess so."

"Wow," Snow breathed.

Storm Clouds in Night Sky rushed towards them. "Yes! Now we can make the plan work."

Snow faced her brother. "Hold on, kitty. We haven't even agreed with the plan."

"What plan?" Gingerpaw asked, an adventurous look appearing in his green eyes.

"We have to get out of here!" Storm burst. "This is no place for cats and Stoneteller is just a stupi—"

"Hey, he's our Healer," Snow quickly interrupted. "But, he's right. We don't belong here. Take us with you!"

Gingerpaw nodded. "I'll try." He gazed at the pretty she-cat.

Feeling uncomfortable at his stare, she quickly led him towards the to-be part of the cave. "You can make your nest here."

Gingerpaw shook his head. "I won't need a nest. We're getting out _tonight._"

"You really think so?" Snow whispered, admiration filling in her eyes.

"I know so," he declared.

"Hey, hey, wake up," Gingerpaw muttered, prodding Snow gently.

The pretty she-cat raised her head and looked around in confusion. She met his gaze and held it for a heartbeat.

"It's time," Storm appeared behind him.

Snow picked her way out of her nest delicately, not wanting to disturb Moon and Shadow. Carefully, she held her breath and gazed around at the sleeping Tribe. They quietly slunk out of the cave and Snow That Gathers in Clouds flinched as her paw disturbed a stone. The stone plinked its way across the camp, sliding to a halt in front of Eagle's nose.

Storm glanced back and saw the commotion and nudged Gingerpaw. They all watched, helpless, as Eagle stretched in his sleep and the cold, hard stone hit his face. The cave-guard flinched and opened his eyes, seeing the young cats.

"The savior is escaping!" Eagle yowled, alerting the Tribe.

"Go!" Storm shoved Snow out of the cave.

They fled out of the exit tunnel and Gingerpaw called over his shoulder, "Which way?"

"I'll take the lead," Storm panted and sprinted in front of him.

Yowling followed him, and Snow looked back to see cave-guards and prey-hunters chasing them. Stoneteller had even joined the chase, his white pelt flashing in the darkness. Snow felt a pang at their similar coloring, reminding her that he was her father.

"Stop!" Stoneteller hollered, but the Storm kept on sprinting.

"We have to get out of here," Snow gasped, as she felt the breath of Eagle on her haunches.

Claws scraped her and she pulled on an extra boost of speed.

"How could you betray your Tribe?" Stoneteller screeched.

Storm skidded to a stop as he faced their father. "There's nothing left for us here. Our mother is gone and you're nothing to us!" he spat.

"I'm your father," Stoneteller meowed gently, blinking at the young tom.

"You've never been my father!" Storm accused him and leapt onto the white tom.

His claws came out and Snow flinched at the spray of blood. Stoneteller tried to fight back, but he had been sitting in a cave for moons; out of shape. Eagle tried to push his way towards his Healer, spitting at Gingerpaw, "You're no savior."

Snow couldn't take this any more. Her own kin was fighting! "Stop!" she cried.

At her call, Storm broke off, glaring at his sister.

"You've committed treason," Eagle growled, stepping in front of his leader. "That crime is punishable by exile."

Gingerpaw stepped in front of the two to-bes. "Stop this bickering!" he scolded them like a mother scolding her kits.

Eagle lunged towards the red tom, but was stopped by Stoneteller.

"Stop," he rasped, "He's th-the savior."

The white tom swooned and fell to the ground. A single shudder passed through him. His eyes glazed over.

"You killed him!" Eagle snarled, shooting a look of pure fury towards Storm.

Storm had a look of confusion and horror on his face. "I b-barely even touched him," he stammered. "He shouldn't be dead."

Hollowness filled in Snow's belly. Although she disliked her father, he was still her father. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him.

"It's because of you he's dead," Eagle spat, but his words were meant for Gingerpaw.

"Wha- me?" Gingerpaw exclaimed. "I had nothing to do with it!"

"If you hadn't escaped, Stoneteller would still be alive," Eagle muttered.

Snow knew he was grieving for Stoneteller in his own kind of way.

"He never even named his successor."

A flash of white caught her eye. She looked up and saw a white ghost stepping out of Stoneteller's body.

"Stoneteller," Snow breathed.

"Call me Storm Clouds on the Horizon," he murmured, "Or Storm."

Her brother looked up. "That's where my name came from," he realized.

"Yes, partially. I need to announce my successor. Storm Clouds in Night Sky," the former Stoneteller announced, "from this moment on, you will be known as the Teller of the Echoing Stones. Others will come after you, moon upon moon upon moon. Choose them well, train them well, and trust the future of your Tribe to them."

"I'm just a to-be," Storm protested.

Eagle looked as if he agreed with the young tom.

"That doesn't matter," the ghost replied, "You have shown great courage and leadership skills and I think you will become a great Healer. Lead the Tribe better than I ever did. You would have held your ceremony soon, anyways."

"Thank you," the new Stoneteller dipped his head, "And I'm sorry abou—"

"It's okay," his father interrupted, "I understand now the pain you went through. This is my way of making it right." He turned to Gingerpaw. "Thank you for making me realize what I was doing to my Tribe. You truly are a savior."

Stoneteller dipped his head again and the ghost vanished.

"I welcome you, Stoneteller," Eagle grudgingly extended his paw to his new Healer.

Snow repeated the former greeting, doing the same. _It'll never be the same again,_ she thought sadly. Her brother would be too busy with duties to ever share prey with her again.

"Are you still coming with me?" Gingerpaw asked, scuffling his paws.

Without hesitation, Snow replied, "Yes."

* * *

Cinderbird lashed her tail. "Another setback?"

_Lighten up, Cinderbird, _Daypaw rolled her eyes. _Such a worry-woodpecker. _

"Well, we can't leave Gingerpaw here," Foxclaw pointed out. "We have to go get him."

"Wait," Berryoak started, staring off into the distance.

"W-what?" Duskblossom followed his gaze, unsure of what he was mentioning.

"Look," he breathed.

A red cat was appearing on the horizon. Another white cat was following him.

"Is he being chased?" Cinderbird asked.

"Of course he's not," Daypaw snapped, looking for a way to ruffle her whiskers.

"You don't know that," Cinderbird retorted to the apprentice.

"Can you two stop bickering like a bunch of kits?" Berryoak ordered, turning back to Gingerpaw and the unfamiliar white cat.

"Is that," Daypaw squinted, "Snow?"

"Yes, Daypaw, we're in the mountains. You should know by now that there's snow," Cinderbird rolled her eyes.

"No, you fish-brain. Snow, the to-be."

"Oh," Cinderbird looked slightly embarrassed.

"Gingerpaw!" Daypaw let out a trill of welcome as the red apprentice came into earshot.

He put on an extra boost of speed and skidded to a stop in front of his Clanmates.

"Why is _she _with you?" Cloudfish asked, narrowing his eyes at the young she-cat.

"She wanted to come," Gingerpaw's fur fluffed up defensively.

Snow dipped her head. "If you'll have me."

"Of course not!" Cinderbird exploded, "You took Gin—"

"We'd love to have you," Berryoak smoothly interrupted, shooting a glare at the gray she-cat. "Welcome to IceClan."

* * *

**I have an announcement. The next chapter will be the last chapter of On Thin Ice. (Of course if it goes like all of the mountain chapters, we have about 20 more chapters to go XD) I'm sad/happy. Actually mostly happy, because today is a great day. **

**HAPPY MAY THE FOURTH! may the fourth be with you. *bows head and pulls out a lightsaber* And in case I don't post tomorrow, HAPPY MAY THE FIFTH/SITH! my gosh, I love Star Wars. And JAR-JAR! (y'know, even though he was responsible for Palpatine taking over the senate, but detail, shmetails (haha shme)) If you're a Star Wars fan, you'll get it. ;) Ok, sorry 'bout that. **

**Rando review time!  
Mintflight0245- Thank you! Yeah, I could not think of an ending for the mountains, because I knew the Feathertail thingy was old, and all of my ideas involved... death. :P Right, I mean moms don't get it. She usually asks me, "Don't you get tired of PBJs?" I'm like *weird look* "Why would I?" XD Thank you so much for your review!**

**Grayshadow Warrior- Tribeenized? XD I don't know either. Ok, so when your review came in to my inbox, it said, "Eagle's a total j***." So I was like, ummm bad words that start with a j? Hmmm. And then I read it on the website and it was jerk. It made me laugh, sorry. XD. Maybe they do roll in glitter... Anyhoo, thank you so much for your review!**

**XxAsenaxX- Thank you for your review! It reallly means a lot! :)**

**MedicineCatsRule- Thank you for your review, and good luck on your story! Yeah, I write my stories on Pages, so I bet you'll be able to write them on Google Docs. I just copy-and-paste and it works :). Thank you for your advice, too! **

**Thanks for reading and happy reading! Please make sure to review ;) And, if everybody reviews, I'll reveal the name of the sequel :)**

**~Poppyfrost123 :)**


	26. Chapter 25

"And what _is _that?" Snow exclaimed.

Daypaw sighed impatiently. _She's holding us back! _

"That," Berryoak explained patiently. "Is a Twoleg."

"It's so peculiar," Snow murmured, inching closer.

"No!" The patrol shouted in unison.

She looked back, confused, "They look harmless."

Daypaw rolled her eyes. "Trust me, they're _not._"

Snow nodded sadly, heading back to the patrol.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here," a sinister voice chuckled.

Berryoak whipped around to face the cat. A pretty tabby she-cat was sitting delicately on a fence above them. Daypaw could tell that Berryoak was unimpressed.

"We're just passing through," he quickly assured the tabby.

The tabby's nonchalant gaze slid back to Rippleshade and Duskblossom.

"Ah," the tabby meowed, "We meet again."

"Hi, Roxy," Rippleshade muttered unenthusiastically.

"Last I remember, you owe me," Roxy reminded them.

Berryoak slowly turned to face them. "I'm sorry, did you forget to mention her?"

"Er, maybe?" Rippleshade admitted.

Berryoak rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We can put up a fight."

Roxy laughed, a shrill sound. "Oh, can you?"

At her words, four massive toms jumped onto the fence. Berryoak exchanged a glance with Rippleshade, a silent exchange, saying, 'we'll talk later.'

Cloudfish let out a battle cry and launched himself to the fence, and plummeting to the other side, taking a tom with him. Fierce yowls followed a huge thud. Berryoak tensed and leaped up, his claws out, aiming for Roxy. Instantly, the three other toms protected her, and Roxy was left without injuries.

"Axel!" Roxy called to the tabby tom battling with Cloudfish. Her gaze was still on Berryoak.

Instantly the huge tom stopped and leaped up to her. "Yes?"

Her blue eyes gleaming, she whispered in his ear. His amber eyes narrowed and Daypaw wondered what the exchange was. He bounded off, casting one spiteful glare at Cloudfish, who was trying to scramble up the fence.

Roxy licked a paw. "Retreat," she ordered mockingly, her blue eyes teasing the Clan cats.

Daypaw could tell that they didn't win. Roxy merely called her cats off for the fun of it. Growling, Daypaw licked a paw and turned towards her Clanmates.

"And you didn't think to tell us about her?" Berryoak asked scathingly, turning towards Rippleshade and Duskblossom.

"Sorry," Rippleshade responded sheepishly.

Berryoak rolled his eyes and flicked his tail, a command for the patrol to continue. Daypaw fell in pace with Foxclaw, and she could help giving him a sidelong glance.

He met her gaze. "We didn't come through here."

"Oh, where did DarkClan take you through?" Daypaw asked, curious.

He motioned with his tail. "DarkClan and Eagle, I think it was, went over fields. It was an easy journey, but we've already gone this far."

"That sounds nice," she murmured enviously, the rough stones of Twolegplace were hurting her pads.

"Don't worry," he meowed reassuringly, giving her a lick on the cheek, "We'll be home soon."

* * *

Mistbriar glanced at Shadestar. "It's been two moons," she reminded him.

He merely grunted. "I trust Berryoak."

A yowl followed his words. She looked up to see Flickershine facing the entrance, her black tail fluffed up. Bounding out of Shadestar's den, she delicately picked her way into the clearing.

"What is it?" Mistbriar hissed, arching her back. Was DarkClan attacking again?

A cream head poked its way into the entrance. His eyes shone with recognition and relief.

"Berryoak!" Mistbriar exclaimed.

Frecklelight poked her head out of the nursery. Her ever growing kits had tumbled out, racing to greet their father. The speckled white she-cat had followed more slowly, love in her eyes.

"You're back," she whispered.

"I'm back," he raced towards his mate, almost tripping over the excited trio at his paws.

A silver she-cat slowly padded out of the nursery, her eyes searching the sea of faces as the patrol was reunited with their Clan.

Cloudfish stepped into the camp, his eyes alight with happiness a being back. He raced towards Silverrose. Mistbriar could see his lips moving and his ears flick towards her belly. An excited murmur escaped from the silver she-cat's lips. A look of surprise crossed his face, along with happiness.

_Good, _Mistbriar thought, _He's pleased. _

Duskblossom and Rippleshade walked out together, their pelts brushing. The handsome silver tom purposefully ignored a waiting Rosefall, causing the deputy to chuckle. Foxclaw stepped into the clearing, followed by a bouncing Daypaw and a trudging Cinderbird. Gingerpaw and an unfamiliar she-cat followed suit.

_Great StarClan, how many cats did we send? _

Needledawn bustled out of the nursery, racing to greet Duskblossom and Cinderbird.

"You had your kits," Duskblossom gasped, glancing at her hollowed belly.

"I did," Needledawn purred, "And it was the worst pain you could ever imagine! Don't ever have kits," she warned with a _mrrow _of laughter.

Lightkit, Cloudkit, and Pinekit bounced out of the nursery. The small kits sniffed Duskblossom and Cinderbird.

"You smell funny," Pinekit meowed, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't be rude," Needledawn chided her. "These are my kits, Lightkit," she touched the silver tabby with her tail, "Cloudkit, and Pinekit."

"They're beautiful," Cinderbird murmured.

"And," Needledawn continued, "Kits, these are Cinderbird and Duskblossom."

"You still smell funn—" Pinekit started, only to be quickly whisked away by her mother.

Needledawn shot an apologetic glance to her friends as she herded her kits back to the nursery.

"Clanmates," Shadestar announced, bounding towards the cats, "The patrol has returned with Foxclaw!"

IceClan cheered.

"And we have warriors to make. Gingerpaw, you have shown great courage and loyalty on the journey, and because of that, you will be made a warrior. I, Shadestar, leader of IceClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Shadestar glanced at Needledawn, who was watching him proudly. "Gingerpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Gingerpaw took a breath. "I do."

Shadestar looked proud. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Gingerpaw, from this moment you will be known as Gingerblaze. StarClan honors your dedication and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of IceClan."

"Gingerblaze, Gingerblaze!" IceClan cheered for the new warrior, and called his name to the sky.

"Thank you," Gingerblaze murmured, glancing at his mentor and Snow. "What about Snow?"

The Clan turned to look at the Tribe to-be. The white she-cat shrank under their gaze, looking frightful.

"Where did you come from?" Shadestar asked the she-cat gently.

"T-the," she cleared her throat, "I came from the Tribe of Falling Snow."

"You are welcome in IceClan," he reassured her.

"Thank you," Snow whispered, before bounding off to congratulate Gingerblaze. "Gingerblaze!" she welcomed him, and licked him on his ear.

"Daypaw," Shadestar rumbled.

The gray apprentice blinked innocently at him, but a flash of fear appeared. "Yes, Shadestar."

"You know what you have done."

"Yes, Shadestar," Daypaw dipped her head, but Mistbriar could see she was not guilty.

"But, Berryoak informed me that you have shone bravery and you deserve to be made a warrior."

"Really?" The apprentice could not restrain a squeak of excitement.

"Yes, really," Shadestar sounded amused.

"Daypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," her words were filled with determination.

Shadestar took a deep breath, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Daypaw, from this moment you will be known as Daylight. StarClan honors your spirit and your energy, and we welcome you as a full warrior of IceClan."

As the newly named warrior touched noses with her leader, Mistbriar noticed with amusement that Foxclaw was staring at Daylight. The she-cat nodded at Shadestar before gracefully bounding to Gingerblaze. There was no surprise that Foxclaw was mesmerized by the pretty she-cat; she had grown and matured over the journey. Cinderbird's blue gaze was hardened by jealousy as the tom she had once called her own was staring at another she-cat.

_They won't be hard to set up._

* * *

**Well, *sniff* it's done! The first book I've ever finished. Sorry, all of those weird one-shots about zombies and stuff. Ok, I'm getting distracted again. I'm pretty happyish about how it turned out, considering when I wrote it, the only idea I had for it was a killer first ****sentence. XD**

**Ok, I just want to make this clear. I am very aware that I haven't included several OCs, but they will be in the sequel, if that's still okay if I use them. Sorry 'bout that. **

**Make sure to look out for the sequel, "Haven't Decided What to Name it Yet," Actually, I thought of a really good title in the shower, but forgot it. *tear, tear* Sorry, I'm emotional. Ok, I have created a poll in my profile about the title. Please make sure to check that out :)**

**Here's some facts about On Thin Ice. (warning there's like.. three. But that's not the point) **

**1\. Daybae was supposed to end up with Gingerpaw. **

**2\. The story was originally going to revolve around Duskblossom and her love life with (censored) (but we all know it's Ripplebae)**

**3\. I actually completely forgot Daypaw and Foxclaw and it was a complete accident that we even went to the mountains**

**4\. The story started when (see above) I thought of a cool intro and a cool name (Dusky) :) **

**5\. As i've already mentioned in past chapters, Needledawn was going to die in labor (and then a side idea sparked of Shadestar giving one of his lives to her but it never happened XD)(SO THAT MEANS ANOTHER CAT WILL DIE HEHEHE) *cough Silverrose cough* **

**6\. The author is extremely grateful for all of your support and reviews and they really mean a lot to the author *starts bawling* **

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**Rando *cries* Review time for the last time in the book! (I don't know if I can take this tbh ahhh) **

**Mintflight0245- Thank you so much! *starts crying because this will be the last time we talk about sandwiches on OTI* Right, sandwiches are total inspiration! Also, just thank you so much for all of your support and it *sniffle* just means *cries again* a lot! *hugs thru the app* Sorry I'm so emotional :D**

**Unknown Warrior- Aww thank you! Sorry, but it was kind of dragging out and I felt like it needed to end. Sorry! And thank you so much for your review!**

**MedicineCatsRule- Yeah, I tried to make Eagle an unlikeable character, glad it worked! Yeah, happy late Cinco De Mayo aaaaanndd (we can't forget about it) May the Sith be with you! (belated) My gosh, I love Darth Vader. Actually, more Anakin, but whatevs. Thank you so much for your support and your reviews!**

**Also, s/o to Grayshadow Warrior! Thank you so much for your really helpful reviews and support! It really means a lot! **

**Thank *sniff* you so much for reading and happy reading! :D Where are those Kleenexes?**

**~Poppyfrost*sniffle*123 :) **


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